AEROSPACE

MARLBORO, MA -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $9.5 million task order from NASA's Ames Research Center to create a modeling and simulation capability in support of the National Airspace System (NAS) -- wide analyses of Advanced Air Traffic Management tools and concepts. The contract task order was awarded under NASA's Air Traffic Management System Development and Integration (ATMSDI) contract. The products to be developed under this task order include a NAS-wide framework with models and tools to validate advanced concepts that will be developed within NASA's virtual airspace modeling and advanced air transportation technologies projects. A comprehensive and flexible modeling approach will enable these tools to be used to assess the air traffic management concepts needed to increase capacity and efficiency. The Raytheon-led team for the modeling and simulation capability includes Seagull Technology of Los Gatos, Calif., SAIC of Arlington, Va., and Intelligent Automation, Inc. of Rockville, Md., as well as Metron; Booz-Allen & Hamilton Inc.; Titan SRC, SCATS and representation from major universities and airlines. "The Raytheon team, NASA, and the FAA are committed to developing this critically needed modeling and simulation capability to assess the application of new technology air traffic management tools to aid increasing system capacity and efficiency," said Bob Eckel, Raytheon vice president of Air Traffic Management Systems. "This research and development effort is an important step toward establishing a comprehensive methodology for the successful development and operation of complex simulations on a national scale." NASA and Raytheon, under the ATMSDI contract, continue the development of new concepts, technologies and tools for collaborative decision making, airspace modeling and design, flight deck systems, aviation human factors, complex airspace management, airline operations center systems, and air/ground air traffic control automation. The NASA, FAA and Raytheon ATMSDI effort will lead to increased runway throughput at capacity-constrained airports, safe operation across boundaries of free-flight and capacity-constrained flight regions, improved effectiveness of high density operations (e.g., Northeast Corridor) and lower operating costs through better routing.