The national rollout of the En Route Communications Gateway, designed by Lockheed Martin , was recently completed on schedule when the Federal Aviation Administration declared operational use of the system at its Air Route Traffic Control Center in Miami. The communications system now has been deployed and accepted at all 20 centers in the United States.

The En Route Communications Gateway (ECG) provides mission-critical radar communications data needed by the Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs), which manage all high-altitude air traffic and serve as the hubs of the National Airspace System. ECG, which is vital to the safe and efficient control of aircraft, transmits surveillance data received from legacy sources, such as existing radars, to air traffic control facilities.

"The ECG has two primary missions. It subsumes legacy interface processing functions, and provides state-of-the-art commercial technology that supports growth and a seamless transition to future modernization of the air traffic control infrastructure," said Sue Corcoran, vice president of Aviation Solutions for Lockheed Martin. "We have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the FAA, and that has helped us to complete virtually every element of this program on or ahead of schedule."

Lockheed Martin built the ECG system to replace the end-of-service Peripheral Adapter Module Replacement Item hardware and software, and to provide support for new surveillance and data formats. The ECG will enable future systems to receive radar and communication data over an Internet provider (IP) interface by attaching directly to the ECG primary and backup local area networks. It is modular in design and is scaled to accommodate a 2012 workload.

Lockheed Martin and major subcontractor Sunhillo Corporation, Berlin, NJ, provided the systems, installation, integration and test for the ECG program.

The system was designed in a manner that allows easy integration with the FAA's En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) program, a critical upgrade to the nation's air traffic control infrastructure now underway. ERAM will redesign and modernize the 40-year Host Computer System, which is the core automation system in the en route environment. ERAM is on schedule to begin deployment in 2009.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin employs about 135,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Transportation and Security Solutions