Air Traffic System Talks Start

The Federal Aviation Administration is negotiating with Lockheed Martin Corp. to replace traffic management systems at three air route traffic control centers.

The agency will award the Advanced Technologies and Oceanic Procedures contract to Lockheed Martin later this month after final negotiations, an FAA spokeswoman said. The value of the contract will be released then, she said.

Under the contract, oceanic control systems will be replaced at Anchorage, Alaska; New York; and Oakland, Calif., to handle traffic in international air space over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Oceanic flight control differs from domestic control because there is no radar tracking and no direct radio communication.

The replacement system will collect, manage and display traffic data on computer monitors used by air traffic controllers. It will also integrate radar information.