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World's busiest airport rolls out new Raytheon Air Traffic Control system

STARS in full operation in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport  

TEWKSBURY, Mass., Nov. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility in Atlanta's Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is now operating exclusively with automation technology from Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN). Raytheon is providing the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) as part of the FAA's Terminal Automation Modernization and Replacement contract.

"The STARS implementations around the country are progressing exceedingly well, with all activities on time and within budget," said Michael Espinola, managing director, Raytheon Air Traffic Systems. "The Raytheon team has deep expertise in system deployment and understands the unique safety-critical requirements of air traffic control facilities such as TRACONs and Towers."

Raytheon and the FAA have successfully completed Contractor Acceptance Inspections at all 11 large FAA facilities, including TRACONs and associated towers for: New York, Potomac, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft Worth, Louisville, St Louis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver and Northern and Southern California. To date, 168 facilities have installed the STARS system and are in various states of operation and testing.

"Implementation of STARS brings the national airspace system into a single terminal-area operational system, which provides increased efficiencies in terms of resources, training and maintenance," said Espinola.  "Creating an effective, advanced and streamlined system, all while maintaining outstanding safety standards, is a key goal of the FAA's Next Gen initiative."

Located in Peachtree City, Ga., the Atlanta TRACON covers approximately 19,000 square miles of airspace over north central Georgia and portions of South Carolina and Alabama.  Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) is currently the world's busiest, with an average 2,800 operations per day. ATL's state of the art TRACON has 28 radar positions, two Flight Data positions and 13 Handoff/Coordinator positions. It utilizes five short-range and four long-range radar feeds, which give complete overlap and redundancy in the event of a radar failure.

Raytheon has more than 60 years of experience in providing global air traffic management (ATM) technology. This includes tower and terminal automation, advanced radar, precision satellite-based navigation solutions and predictive management technology, as well as advanced weather integration. Raytheon ATM systems serve civil and military customers around the world, operating in more than 60 countries and monitoring more than 60 percent of the world's airspace.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2014 sales of $23 billion and 61,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 93 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as cybersecurity and a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @Raytheon.

Media Contact 
Cynthia Baker 
+1 714.446.4600 
idspr@raytheon.com

SOURCE Raytheon Company

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