Mar 12 2008
Lockheed Martin announced the Japan Meteorological Agency has purchased a second WindTracer(R) lidar system, which will operate at the Narita International Airport in Tokyo.
Developed and produced by Lockheed Martin Coherent Technologies, the WindTracer is providing advanced warning of wind hazards by continuously scanning the approach and departure corridors, enabling air traffic control personnel to offer precise, timely direction to pilots during their most critical phase of flight.
Lockheed Martin collaborated with the Kanematsu Corporation of Japan to introduce the WindTracer to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The first WindTracer was installed at Tokyo's Haneda Airport in 2006. The internationalization and localization of the system into the Japanese language was completed in time for this recent deployment at the Narita Airport. Lockheed Martin is now able to quickly and easily localize the user interface, thus expanding the market reach of WindTracer to airports worldwide.
"We are honored to continue our work with JMA," said Dr. Stephen Hannon, Products Group director for Lockheed Martin Coherent Technologies. "It's exciting to install a second WindTracer in Japan and see how it's benefiting passengers flying in and out of that country's premier international airport. WindTracer's Doppler lidar technology has made a significant contribution to aviation safety and airport operational efficiency with its wind-hazard alerting capabilities."
The JMA is the Japanese government's weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is an extra-ministerial bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Tourism. Narita International Airport is the second-busiest passenger airport in Japan. It handles the majority of international passenger traffic to and from Japan, and is a major connecting point for air traffic between Asia and the Americas.