U.S. NAVY SUCCESSFULLY TESTS NEW ENHANCED LASER GUIDED TRAINING ROUNDS FROM LOCKHEED MARTIN
ARCHBALD, PA, January 11, 2007 --
The U.S. Navy has successfully demonstrated the expanded capabilities of Lockheed Martin’s new Paveway II Enhanced Laser Guided Training Rounds (E-LGTR) during training exercises at Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, NV.
The pre-production Paveway II Enhanced LGTRs were delivered to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) and were dropped by F/A-18s attached to VFA-94 Mighty Shrikes during the Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program (SFARP), an intensive multi-week training syllabus administered by the Strike Fighter Weapons School Pacific.
Rear Adm. Mark T. Emerson, Commander, Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at NAS Fallon, dropped one of the first E-LGTR units from an F/A-18 and successfully hit the target within three meters.
“The Enhanced LGTR’s capabilities are transparent to the pilot,” said Emerson. “The pilot is confident that the Enhanced LGTR will go exactly where they aim it. Lockheed Martin has essentially taken the weapon’s reliability and improvements to the next level, and that’s one less thing the pilot needs to worry about.”
Delivery of the first full production E-LGTR units began at the end of November 2006.
Cynthia Sailar, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Archbald, was on hand to deliver the enhanced LGTR to the squadron.
“We were pleased to be a part of the enhanced LGTR rollout and to personally thank our warfighters for their dedication and commitment to our country,” said Sailar. “It was a great opportunity to witness the benefit of live-fire training and the immediate impact of our enhanced solution. The accuracy of our weapons continues to improve with advancements in technology. Training must keep pace with changes in tactics and weapon performance in order to be effective. The Paveway II Enhanced LGTR effectively emulates the employment of Paveway II Laser Guided Bombs.”
In October 2006, Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] received a $19 million contract award to deliver the enhanced version of the Paveway II LGTR to the U.S. Navy. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) award includes four one-year options for E-LGTRs each year through March 2009, totaling $114 million, if all options are exercised.
Since 1990, Lockheed Martin has been providing tactical and live-fire training solutions to U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and international customers. LGTRs have been used in place of the U.S. Navy’s inventory of munitions to train aircrews in live-fire training and weapons delivery proficiency without the high cost of using real assets during exercises. The enhanced version is a direct result of a joint Lockheed Martin-U.S. Navy continuous product enhancement program to increase warfighter training versatility and enhance performance in airborne lasing in tactical target environments. LGTR and E-LGTRs are fully compatible with F-16, F/A-18, AV-8 and multiple international platforms.
In addition to the Paveway II LGTR, Lockheed Martin’s 350,000-square foot facility, located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, designs and manufactures Paveway Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) kits, Paveway Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb (DMLGB) kits, specialized instrumentation and control systems and provides manufacturing services such as state-of-the-art metal crafting and electro-mechanical assemblies.
Paveway is a generic term, developed by the Air Force, for a family of laser guided weapon systems. Lockheed Martin is a fully qualified provider of Paveway LGB kits and has delivered/and is delivering these systems to the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and international customers. Lockheed Martin supports the entire family of Paveway weapon systems, including being the sole source provider of both the Paveway II DMLGB kit and the Paveway LGTR/E-LGTR.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin 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 2005 sales of $37.2 billion.
Contact:
Jennifer Allen, (407) 356-5351
e-mail jennifer.l.allen@lmco.com
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