ROCKVILLE, Md., 7 Sept. 2009. A SkyLine automated air traffic management (ATM) system supplied by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has gone into full operation at the Aktobe Area Control Center (ACC) and three remote towers in Kazakhstan.

The system, installed under contract with Kazaeronavigatsia, the air navigation authority for Kazakhstan, is part of a major modernization program for the region. The system achieved site acceptance ahead of schedule earlier this year and completed the transition in late June, Lockheed Martin officials say.

A comprehensive commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) automation system, SkyLine ATM includes flight data processing and surveillance data processing capabilities that can function as a tower, terminal area, procedural or flow monitoring system service. It provides a flexible configuration of features and functions to fit user requirements.

At Aktobe, the system provides en route and approach control at the Aktobe ACC, as well as tower control at Aktobe and the airfields at Uralsk, Atyrau, and Aktau. The contract also includes a Lockheed Martin Omnyx air sovereignty system at the Astana area control center that provides air surveillance across the country and is the foundation for an interagency coordination center in that city, which is the Kazakhstan capital.

"We have been pleased to work with Lockheed Martin on this project, which enhances the safety, capacity and reliability of our national airspace," says Sergey Kulnazarov, the director general of Kazaeronavigatsia. "It has significantly advanced our progress toward achieving an integrated, national ATM program."

"Thanks to the efforts of Director General Kulnazarov, Kazaeronavigatsia and the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the international community recognizes the quality and safety of air navigation services provided by Kazaeronavigatsia," says Jeff Oltchick, senior manager international aviation programs with Lockheed Martin.