At the ATC MAASTRICHT 2003 CONFERENCE, THE NETHERLANDS: Lockheed Martin has received a five-year contract from United Airlines for new decision support and analysis products that will reduce the air carrier's operating expenses and cut costs. Aviation management tools from Lockheed Martin will enable UAL managers to predict air flight bottlenecks and react quickly to lessen the impact on passengers while also lowering costs associated with fuel and flight delays.

Lockheed Martin's Flight and Weather Information and Decision Support (FltWinds(TM)) system and System Performance Evaluation and Analysis Reporting (SPEAR(TM)) products help UAL make flight decisions that enable on-time performance and meet customer service goals. The products are part of Lockheed Martin's "airport hub management" systems that give airlines and airport officials tools to plan and manage day-to-day air travel operations.

Based on very favorable results in extensive trial use at its Elk Grove Central Operations Control Center (OCC), UAL will implement these systems throughout its operation. Cost savings and other efficiencies are achieved through better routing of aircraft to avoid poor weather; this saves fuel costs, helps deliver passengers to their destinations on time and enables the carrier to make more efficient use of aircraft and crew members. UAL manages more than 1,800 daily departures from its Central OCC.

UAL officials use the FltWinds system to evaluate weather data that can affect flight decisions; the SPEAR system maintains a status of aircraft and helps UAL managers schedule flights and crew more efficiently. FltWinds and SPEAR are cornerstone products for the integration of legacy airline operations tools onto a common information technology infrastructure.

"We anticipate that United Airlines will want to expand this capability to its fully operational OCC backup facility near Chicago's O'Hare Airport and ultimately to its major hubs in the U.S., Europe and Asia," said Don Antonucci, president, Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management. "These tools will enable United Airlines to make improved look-ahead decisions based on real-time situational awareness."

"The FltWinds system is a first step in lowering our infrastructure and operating costs through the use of cutting edge technology," said Dave Knerr, UAL's Manager, Flight Dispatch Automation. "The system is designed to integrate with our flight planning and schedule data systems to allow us to manage all aspects of the airline operational control process."

The FltWinds system helps UAL's flight dispatchers and weather specialists make tactical decisions about flights in bad weather conditions. The system interprets weather data in relation to specific flights and converts it into intuitive graphic displays and advanced aviation weather forecasts that operators can use. The FltWinds system analyzes flight plan routes and generates system alerts when there are significant shifts in weather patterns or hazardous weather. This enables UAL operators to make schedule changes to avoid weather conflicts -- rerouting or diverting aircraft and delaying flights, if needed.

Lockheed Martin's SPEAR system is a performance assessment tool that continuously monitors and analyzes key elements of airline operations and airspace activity providing near real-time status information about UAL aircraft. Operators can use the system's analysis tools to assess flight departures and arrivals, airport operations schedules and flight deviations.

Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management has four decades of experience in delivering advanced aviation management solutions to customers worldwide, and focuses on systems integration, engineering design, development, test, delivery and support of Communications, Navigation, Surveillance (CNS/ATM) systems. A registered ISO 9001 company, Air Traffic Management employs approximately 1,300 people at major facilities in Rockville, Md., Atlantic City, N.J., Eagan, Minn., and Southampton, England. The company is a unit of Bethesda, MD-based Lockheed Martin Corp., 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.

For additional information on Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/atm

For additional information on Lockheed Martin Corporation visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management