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LOCKHEED MARTIN

Lockheed Martin, the world's largest weapons producer and the Iraq war's chief profiteer, is the U.S. 's #1 nuclear bomb and "Star Wars" weapons contractor. In Greek Mythology, Aegis was the thunderbolt and breastplate that served as the shield for Zeus, the king of gods. Moorestown, NJ is home to Lockheed Martin's Aegis Warship and Naval Weapons Complex which produces Aegis combat equipment for Aegis warships. Aegis warships and their arsenal of cruise missiles were part of the "shock and awe" bombardment of Iraq . The Navy is planning to use Aegis cruisers and "Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense" as part of its "Star Wars" Theater Missile Defense war-fighting strategy. In Valley Forge, PA , Lockheed Martin has a multitude of nuclear and non-nuclear weapons related contracts, including the production of fire control systems for cruise missiles.

U.S. NAVY AWARDS LOCKHEED MARTIN $20.8 MILLION TO MODERNIZE AEGIS-EQUIPPED CRUISERS

MOORESTOWN, NJ, March 22, 2006 -- The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a $20.8 million contract to deliver the first Aegis Combat System upgrade ship-set for a cruiser modernization program. The upgrade will extend the life, enhance the capability and improve the operational cost efficiency of up to 22 existing Aegis-equipped cruisers.

The first cruiser modernization combat system upgrade ship-set will be installed aboard by USS Bunker Hill (CG 52). In addition, the contract includes the delivery of equipment to support land-based testing and training at Wallops Island and Dahlgren, VA.

“The cruiser modernization program is critical to the sustainment of U.S. Navy force structure and the accomplishment of current and future missions of the Department of Defense,” said Capt. David Gale from the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Ships. “The USS Ticonderoga-class cruisers were built in the 1980s and early 1990s. This program will recapitalize initial investment in these ships by modernizing the combat system through computing and display infrastructure upgrades, as well as the hull, mechanical and electrical systems.”

The combat system computing and display infrastructure modernization will incorporate commercial off-the-shelf equipment and open systems architecture. In addition, the Aegis development supporting the cruiser modernization program is being directly leveraged and reused in combat system development associated with the Littoral Combat Ship, DD(X) and the Coast Guard’s Deepwater programs. Through this cross-program collaboration, Lockheed Martin is supporting the U.S. Navy in realizing its vision to maximize the commonality and interoperability of combat systems across Navy and Coast Guard surface ships.

The Aegis Weapon System is the world’s premier naval surface defense system and is the foundation for Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, the primary component of the sea-based element of the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense System. The Aegis Weapon System includes the SPY-1 radar, the Navy's most advanced computer-controlled radar system. When paired with the MK 41 Vertical Launching System, it is capable of delivering missiles for every mission and threat environment in naval warfare.

The Aegis Weapon System is currently deployed on 77 ships around the globe, with more than 25 additional ships planned. Aegis is the maritime weapon system of choice for Australia, Japan, South Korea, Norway and Spain, as well as the United States.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 135,000 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 2005 sales of $37.2 billion.

$40 million OKd for Lockheed's Moorestown project

The U.S. House of Representatives approved $40 million Monday in research-and-development funding for technology being developed at Lockheed Martin's Moorestown facility. Yesterday, Rep. James Saxton (R., N.J.) announced the additional $27 million in R&D funding for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Signal Processor and $13 million for the Advanced Radar Technology Integrated System Testbed. The funding is part of the 2006 defense appropriations bill, which passed the House, 398-19.

The work on both is being done at Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors, a division of the company's Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems-Surface Systems unit in Moorestown and is part of the U.S. Navy's efforts to modernize its fleet.

- 6/22/05 Phila Inquirer

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