MOORESTOWN, N.J., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Defense's
Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a $1 billion
contract for continued development and evolution of the Aegis Ballistic
Missile Defense (BMD) Weapon System.
Under the contract, Lockheed Martin's Surface-Sea Based Missile Defense line
of business, in Moorestown, N.J., will design, develop, integrate, test,
deliver and install further Aegis BMD capability for the U.S. and allied
navies.
"This contract will both continue the spiral development of Aegis BMD
capability to meet expanding global security threats and increase the number
of BMD-capable ships at sea by integrating Aegis BMD into the Aegis
Modernization program," explained Orlando Carvalho, vice president and general
manager of the Lockheed Martin business completing the work. "This further
supports the increasing demand for Aegis BMD capability worldwide, especially
in light of the Administration's recent shift in policy in European Missile
Defense."
Currently, a total of 21 Aegis BMD-equipped warships -- 19 in the U.S. Navy
and two in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force -- have the certified
capability to engage ballistic missiles and perform long-range surveillance
and tracking missions. The U.S. Navy is modifying two additional U.S. East
Coast-based Aegis-equipped ships to perform ballistic missile defense.
The Aegis Weapon System is the world's premier naval defense system and the
sea-based element of the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). Its
precision SPY-1 radar and integrated command and control system seamlessly
guides the interceptor and uplinks target track information to the missile for
terminal homing. Its ability to detect, track and engage targets ranging from
sea-skimming cruise missiles to ballistic missiles in space is proven. The
Aegis BMD Weapon System also integrates with the BMDS, receiving track data
from and providing track information to other BMDS elements.
The 92 Aegis-equipped ships currently in service around the globe have more
than 950 years of at-sea operational experience and have launched more than
3,500 missiles in tests and real-world operations. In addition to the U.S.,
Aegis is the maritime weapon system of choice for Australia, Japan, Norway,
South Korea and Spain.
Lockheed Martin is a world leader in systems integration and the development
of air and missile defense systems and technologies, including the first
operational hit-to-kill missile defense system, Patriot Advanced Capability-3
(PAC-3). It also has considerable experience in interceptor systems, kill
vehicles, battle management command, control and communications, precision
pointing and tracking optics, as well as radar and other sensors that enable
signal processing and data fusion. The company makes significant contributions
to nearly all major U.S. Missile Defense Systems and participates in several
global missile defense partnerships.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company
that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of
advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported
2008 sales of $42.7 billion.
For additional information on Lockheed Martin Corporation,
visit:http://www.lockheedmartin.com
SOURCE Lockheed Martin
Kathy Baier of Lockheed Martin, +1-856-722-3006 or +1-609-472-7954,
Kathleen.m.baier@lmco.com
