Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management, a business unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation , announced today that the Short Term Conflict Alert System (STCA) it developed for the Dusseldorf Control Center was accepted by the Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), the German civil aviation authority.

The Dusseldorf system is the most recent of six STCA systems accepted by the DFS under existing contracts. Two systems are already operational at the Frankfurt Control Center. The systems at the DFS facilities installed in Bremen, Munich and Langen have also been fully accepted. Lockheed Martin's STCA system is an automated "safety net" for keeping aircraft safely separated within crowded controlled airspace. It predicts potential conflicts between aircraft and provides an advanced warning alert to air traffic controllers, which allows them to prevent potential conflicts.

The STCA system for the Dusseldorf site was accepted ahead of schedule in October 2000. Currently, new software enhancements are undergoing site acceptance tests, scheduled to be completed by the end of the first quarter. The DFS awarded the contract to Lockheed Martin in August 1999.

Peter Waldinger, Managing Director, Operational Systems, DFS commended Lockheed Martin for its "outstanding performance and cooperation exhibited during the implementation of the new DFS Short Term Conflict Alert programme." Waldinger's comments about Lockheed Martin's efforts on STCA were part of a letter, nominating the company for the prestigious Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) Industrial Award for 2000. Lockheed Martin received the award at the ATCA annual convention, held in October, for the third time in four years, an unprecedented record.

Lockheed Martin STCA systems were installed in eleven other centers in Germany under a previous contract. They have been successfully performing aircraft conflict detection and avoidance since 1994. The STCA systems are based on the company's SkyLine family of air traffic control applications. Other Lockheed Martin Skyline systems are being installed in Scotland, Korea, the People's Republic of China, and Argentina.

Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management, a leader in airspace management solutions, employs approximately 1,300 people at major facilities in Rockville, Maryland, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Eagan, Minnesota, and Southampton, England.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics and technology services.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management