SYRACUSE, NY, March 7th, 2002 -- Lockheed Martin today announced it has received a $2 million contract extension from the Republic of Turkey to provide a Vessel Traffic Management Information System (VTMIS) for the Istanbul and Canakkale Straits. The original contract, signed in October 1999, was worth more than $20 million. The contract extension allows Lockheed Martin to install three more remote radar sites on the Marmara Sea to supplement the two Vessel Traffic Centers (VTCs) and 16 remote sensor sites along the straits in Turkey. This contract extension represents the last phase of the contract. Installation of the additional radar sites is scheduled for the middle of next year.

The Marmara Sea connects the Black Sea to the east with the Aegean Sea to the west, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea. Istanbul is located at the entrance of the Bosphorus.

The Istanbul and Canakkale straits are considered to be among the most challenging waterways in the world to navigate because of the large amount of maritime traffic passing in close proximity to Istanbul, home to 12 million people. The VTMIS will monitor the 45,000 vessels per year moving between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

The VTMIS integrates radar, video, meteorological, hydrographic and navigational sensors to allow the vessel traffic system operator on the shore to monitor and advise vessel traffic, ensuring its orderly and safe passage through the straits.

"We are pleased to be providing a vessel traffic management system that will help ensure the safety of millions of people every day," said Kevin McSweeney, acting director, marine traffic management for Lockheed Martin. "With this contract extension, we will continue to work closely with our Turkish teammates to complete the surveillance coverage for the Turkish straits."

Lockheed Martin's Turkish business partners, Netas, Aselsan, and Havelsan, perform key roles as part of the system installation, integration and support.

A leader in the design, development and integration of radar systems, vessel traffic management, simulation and training systems, and other complex electronic systems, Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems (NE&SS)-Radar Systems serves customers including all branches of the U.S. armed forces, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Transportation and State, and defense and transportation departments of countries on six continents. NE&SS-Radar Systems employs more than 2,300 people at its Syracuse, N.Y., headquarters and is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems products and services.