Lockheed Martin has achieved government acceptance -- one month ahead of the contract schedule -- of a vital new air traffic radar and communications component, one of the first building blocks for the modernization of the National Airspace System (NAS).

The Federal Aviation Administration accepted Lockheed Martin's En Route Communications Gateway (ECG) ahead of schedule, upon completion of extensive, successful test and evaluation. The ECG system will provide mission critical radar-communications data needed by the FAA's 20 Air Route Traffic Control Centers that control all high altitude air traffic and serve as the hubs of the NAS. The ECG employs commercial components and open architecture to deliver advanced capabilities with high availability. It will replace the end-of-service Peripheral Adapter Module Replacement Item (PAMRI).

"It is always satisfying to deliver new mission capability not only as promised, but also ahead of schedule," said Don Antonucci, president of Lockheed Martin Transportation and Security Solutions. "ECG is one component of many needed in our modernization of the air traffic network. This supports our commitment to our nation to help ensure air safety and continues our record of on-schedule and on-budget deliveries to our FAA customer."

Meeting the contract milestone marks the culmination of a design and development cycle that began in January 2002, and signals that the system meets specified technical and performance requirements. The ECG system is one of the underpinning new technologies that must be in place to support the En Route Modernization (ERAM) program, which will rebuild and upgrade the NAS. The ERAM program was awarded last July to a national team led by Lockheed Martin.

The system gateway transmits surveillance data received from legacy sources, such as existing radars, to air traffic control facilities and is vital to the safe and efficient control of aircraft; it processes radar and flight data faster than the current PAMRI system. ECG's commercial technology backbone supports growth of new applications and components, and will enable a seamless transition to future modernization of the air traffic control infrastructure.

Incremental testing of the system will continue through the year; deployment at FAA facilities in rollout fashion is slated over the next two years.

Lockheed Martin Transportation and Security Solutions specializes in advanced aviation management, security and other mission-critical information technology solutions. It employs approximately 2,000 people at major facilities in Rockville and Gaithersburg, MD, Atlantic City, NJ, Eagan, MN, and Southampton, England. TSS is a business unit of Lockheed Martin's Electronics Systems business area.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 125,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin