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Senior U.S. Air Force Official Evaluates Lockheed Martin Sniper Pod During Flight Test

ORLANDO, FL, January 13th, 2004 -- The U.S. Air Force recently conducted a successful flight demonstration of the Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] Sniper XR Advanced Targeting Pod for Gen. Hal M. Hornburg, Commander, Air Combat Command.

The 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), commanded by Lt. Col. Jim Grahn, hosted Gen. Hornburg for an F-15E flight at Nellis Air Force Base, NV. During the one-hour flight, Gen. Hornburg employed Sniper XR in a variety of tactical scenarios that demonstrated the state-of-the art targeting technology and mature design of the U.S. Air Force's Advanced Targeting Pod.

"Impressive, very impressive... great system capabilities," said Gen. Hornburg as he described Sniper XR's performance to senior members of the Nellis AFB staff. Gen. Hornburg also suggested that other administrative senior officials should fly Sniper XR at the earliest opportunity to observe first-hand its tremendous improvement over legacy targeting pods in use today. The Air Force's Director of Air and Space Operations, Lt. Gen. Ron Keys, and the Air Combat Command's Director of Requirements, Maj. Gen. Don Hoffman, already have flown aircraft equipped with Sniper XR.

Kenneth Fuhr, Program Director for Sniper XR, noted the significance of the successful demonstration of Sniper XR to the Air Combat Command Commander. "Flight test results with Sniper XR have been so impressive that F-16C and F-15E aircrews said Air Force decision makers should see the performance of Sniper XR themselves," Fuhr said. "Employing advanced technologies that permit the detection, classification and engagement of targets at more than three times the distance of current pods, Sniper XR will enable U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard aircrews to execute assigned missions with unmatched precision from standoff ranges."

Sniper XR's superior performance is the result of the unique optical bed design which yields exceptional pod stability, a common line-of-sight that provides a single, large aperture for each sensor, advanced image processing algorithms that generate exceptionally sharp imagery and the ability to operate throughout the aircraft envelope, to include supersonic flight.

Sniper XR incorporates a high-resolution, mid-wave third generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), a dual-mode laser and a CCD-TV along with a laser spot tracker, a laser marker and a sophisticated data-link. An affordable precision targeting system in a single, lightweight pod, Sniper XR is fully compatible with the latest J-series munitions and precision guided weaponry. The targeting pod has been successfully integrated on a variety of aircraft to include the F-15E, the F-16 Block 30/40/50, the A-10 and the F/A-18. Sniper XR's outstanding performance exemplifies Lockheed Martin's continuing commitment to meeting the warfighter's requirements.

Jennifer Allen, 407-356-5351
e-mail jennifer.l.allen@lmco.com