Lockheed Martin Selects Award Winning Troy, Al, Facility As Production Site For Joint Common Missile
ORLANDO, FL, January 22nd, 2004 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] today announced its plan to build the Joint Common Missile (JCM) in Troy, Pike County, AL, if selected in the next few months as contractor for the program.
"We selected our Pike County Operations facility in Troy to produce JCM because it is a customer-focused, world-class production facility," said Stan Arthur, president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control-Orlando. "We expect to produce the lowest cost, highest quality JCM at the lowest risk. If selected, we would experience modest increases in employment with potential to ramp up further as demand warranted."
Lockheed Martin's Pike County Operations facility in Troy, AL, currently produces the Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile, used by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, the Longbow and Hellfire II air-to-ground anti-tank missiles, the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile, the Marine Corps' Predator man-portable anti-tank missile as well as the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM).
The JCM is the next-generation, multi-purpose, air-to-ground precision missile and will replace the Hellfire, Longbow and Maverick air-to-ground missiles currently in the U.S. arsenal.
A number of Alabama leading elected officials have endorsed the prospect of Lockheed Martin's plan to build the Joint Common Missile in Troy:
* "Recent combat operations have proven once again that precision missiles in the hands of a smaller, well-trained force produce superior results. Lockheed Martin's Pike County facility sets the standard for tactical missile performance and quality. The company's commitment to its Alabama workforce and to its customers clearly suggests to me that it will be an extremely strong competitor in the Joint Common Missile selection," said U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL).
* "Lockheed Martin Pike County is certainly one of the best missile production facilities in the country and would be an exceptional site for the Joint Common Missile. Lockheed Martin is a leader in production of munitions for the U.S. military and the Pike County facility has an outstanding performance record garnering state and national awards for everything from plant security to overall excellence in manufacturing. There is no better fit for the JCM than Pike County," said U.S. Rep.Terry Everett (R-AL).
* "The JCM program is a very important multi-service procurement, and I am excited about Lockheed Martin's commitment to Alabama should they win this contract," said U.S. Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-AL).
* "Lockheed Martin is extremely important to our community and to our country," said the Honorable Jimmy C. Lunsford, mayor of Troy, AL. "The success of the missiles assembled in Troy is a source of pride for us, as well as important to the continued growth of our area. The Joint Common Missile program is eagerly anticipated. The highly trained workforce here in Troy will again prove to be the catalyst to make this program as successful as the Hellfire and Longbow programs. As Mayor, I am proud of the work that Lockheed Martin has done in the past and I look forward to many years of growth in our community."
The Troy facility has been honored with Industry Week's "America's Best Plants" award, Defense Investigative Service Cogswell Award, the 2002 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing and the 2002 Alabama Manufacturer of the Year award.
The Lockheed Martin JCM includes a tri-mode seeker and multi-purpose warhead for diverse mission, multi-target capability from a variety of Army, Navy and Marine aircraft. The design includes imaging infrared, semi-active laser and millimeter wave radar capabilities for active and passive "fire-and-forget" and precision-strike targeting. This will increase crew survivability and minimize collateral damage. The JCM also has extended range for standoff engagements-16 kilometers (10 miles) for rotary-wing and 28 kilometers (17.5 miles) for fixed-wing aircraft-and maximum modularity for growth.
The Lockheed Martin JCM candidate builds on the heritage of the Longbow/Hellfire missile family with greatly improved capabilities and reduced cost. The Hellfire missile family has been in production since the early 1980s with more than 16,000 Hellfire II and more than 60,000 Hellfire I rounds produced. Hellfire is in the inventory of 13 countries around the world and has a combat-proven legacy.
The Lockheed Martin JCM combines the experience, technology and the up-front focus to deliver the lowest acquisition and life-cycle cost.
Jennifer Allen, 407-356-5351
e-mail jennifer.l.allen@lmco.com
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