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First Deployment of Lockheed Martin Reconnaissance System Accelerates Navy's Time-Critical Targeting Ability

Digital imagery system enhances "sensor-to-shooter" capability

GAITHERSBURG, MD, March 11th, 2003 -- The first operational deployment of Lockheed Martin's digital reconnaissance image processing system has significantly enhanced the U.S. Navy's ability to identify and engage time-critical targets. The Tactical Input Segment (TIS) has been installed aboard the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and has also been delivered to the Navy's Washington Planning Center and the Naval Surface Air Warfare Center. The TIS system gives the Navy the capability to digitally receive and process reconnaissance imagery from multiple sensor platforms such as the U-2, Global Hawk, and the F/A-18 Shared Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP). With the recent acceptance of the first system deployment, the TIS is immediately fielded as the tactical component of the Navy's Joint Services Imagery Processing System (JSIPS-N), the reconnaissance imagery program of record.

"With this capability the Navy now has a fully-contained, end-to-end electronic imaging system, greatly enhancing their ability to quickly collect, identify, and strike targets across the battlefield," said Terry Drabant, president, Lockheed Martin Mission Systems. "The TIS installation is a major step forward in 'sensor-to-shooter' capability for the Navy, and we look forward to a full deployment of TIS systems to all twelve aircraft carriers and several other major amphibious vessels."

The TIS system replaces the Navy's legacy "wet film" capability, which would require imagery on rolls of film to be physically transported from the sensor to the processing system. Airborne platforms such as the F-14 and F/A-18 would have to land and unload their film before it could be analyzed and acted on. The TIS accelerates a process that used to take hours to just minutes, and enables airborne sensors to transmit imagery in real-time, significantly enhancing the military's ability to identify and engage time-critical targets.

Envisioned as a key component of the Naval Fires Network, the TIS system receives digital imagery - including electro-optical and infrared imaging as well as synthetic aperture radar - over a wireless connection from land and sea-based airborne sensor platforms. Navy intelligence officers can analyze the images, crop sections of interest, and flag potential targets, all through a simple point-and-click interface. The images are used in tasking land, air and sea-based assets across the theater, as well as precision guided munitions deployment.

Through a partnership with Utah State University Research Foundation Space Dynamics Laboratory (USURF/SDL) and the Naval Research Laboratory, Lockheed Martin accelerated the processing of imagery from the F/A-18 SHARP pod through the TIS system. SDL's expertise with the Navy Information System (NAVIS) was key to the SHARP enhancement.

Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Lockheed Martin Information Systems serve customers including U.S. and international defense and civil government agencies.

Media Contact: Keith Mordoff, 301-240-5706; e-mail, keith.mordoff@lmco.com