Lockheed wins FBI contract potentially worth $1 billion

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI said on Tuesday it awarded Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) a contract worth potentially about $1 billion to build a huge computer database of biometric information such as digital images of faces and fingerprints to help catch criminals and terrorists.

The contract will consist of a base year and the potential for up to nine option years, the federal law enforcement agency said. For all 10 years, it would be worth about $1 billion dollars, an FBI spokesman said.

The FBI said the contract calls for the design, development, testing and deployment of the Next Generation Identification System. It is expected to include identifiers such as iris scans and facial recognition.

The new system would be a major upgrade to the FBI's current fingerprint database, operated and maintained in Clarksburg, West Virginia.

"Due to the many issues associated with identity theft ..., coupled with the rapid advances in technology and the nation's focus on combating terrorism, there are increasing needs for new and improved identification services," the FBI said.

"It will allow for the collection of additional biometric data from criminals and terrorists," the FBI said in announcing the contract award.

Judy Marks, president of Lockheed Martin Transportation and Security Solutions, said the company "is proud to continue our long-standing support of the FBI through the original and nationally implemented" fingerprint identification system.

"We are tremendously pleased to partner with the agency once again to provide and support the bureau and other stakeholders with the next quantum leap in capability for another decade of excellence," she said.

(additional reporting by Jim Wolf)

(Reporting by James Vicini, Editing by Gunna Dickson)