Orbit International Corporation, an electronics manufacturer and software solution provider, today announced that its Orbit Instrument Division has received an award from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) valued at $875,000 for the design, manufacture and delivery of a new circuit card assembly in support of the Automated Radar Terminal System (ARTS) 11E and 111E keyboard configurations. Deliveries under this contract are expected in the first and second quarters of 2010.

The ARTS keyboard configuration was designed to support 15 sensors, 10,000 simultaneous tracks and over 200 displays within air traffic control towers. ARTS 111E is currently operational at a number of Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities nationwide. The ARTS systems have been a reliable part of the Terminal domain for over 30 years.

In discussing this order, Sam Berhumoglu, Vice President, Director of Marketing of the Orbit Instrument Division, indicated, "This newly designed input/output (I/O) circuit card has been tested in real time, at a number of FAA sites, and will be available for system upgrade starting in the first quarter of 2010. The circuit card assemblies will be integrated into existing keyboards that were originally built by a competitor. The new Orbit circuit card design will significantly enhance the backlighting and dimming capabilities of the current keyboard which will make it easier for the air traffic control operators to track additional flights as well as communicate with other air traffic control facilities."

Berhumoglu, added, "Consolidation of air traffic operations has been accomplished with a redesign of the airspace that will move air traffic in and out of any region more efficiently and safely. The ARTS system helps TRACON support increased demands on the air traffic system by providing more than 10 times the current capacity of the older systems in addition to increased functionality."