Lockheed, Austal Share $1.38 Billion for Littoral Ships

Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) and Austal Ltd. (ASB) today received a combined $1.38 billion in orders for continued purchases of the Littoral Combat Ship, according to the Pentagon.
The Navy’s orders, made under existing contracts, will pay for the 13th through 16th vessels in the program’s initial purchase of 20 ships divided between Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed and Austal based in Henderson, Australia, the Defense Department said today in a summary of contracts.
Lockheed is getting $697 million and Austal’s U.S. unit is receiving $682 million to complete work on their new vessels by mid-2018.
The Navy action underscores the service’s commitment to the $37 billion program in the face of automatic budget cuts known as sequestration that started to take effect on March 1. The ship is designed to operate in littoral waters, those close to shore, for missions from clearing mines to delivering humanitarian aid.

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Lockheed Martin and Raytheon square off for major, mobile tactical radar program

Industry team Lockheed Martin and ARINC submitted its proposal July 30 for a new, transportable air traffic control radar system that will enable Air Force and Air National Guard units to quickly establish tactical military or disaster-relief airfield operations around the world. They will compete against Raytheon, which submitted its proposal earlier this month for the Air Force’s Deployable Radar Approach Control (D-RAPCON) program.

Under the D-RAPCON program, the Air Force will procure 19 modular ATC surveillance radar systems, which can deploy within 48 hours worldwide by C-130 aircraft and take less than six hours to set up. Older, portable ATC systems presently in use are becoming maintenance challenges. The total program value is expected to be more than $400 million.


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Killer-Drone Showdown Set as Lockheed Unveils Jet-Powered ‘Bot

Sea Ghost concept. Image: Lockheed Martin

Sometime in the next few years the world’s most sophisticated drone prototypes will likely face off in what could be a multi-billion-dollar competition to shape the future of air warfare. And now we finally know what all four contestants look like.
On Friday, number-one defense contractor Lockheed Martin released the first official teaser image of its Sea Ghost jet-powered killer drone. Along with previously disclosed unmanned aerial vehicle designs from rivals Boeing, Northrop Grumman and General Atomics, the Sea Ghost will go head-to-head for a Navy contract to put fast, stealthy, missile- and bomb-armed drones on the decks of aircraft carriers by 2018.


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Lockheed reveals Sea Ghost concept for USN UCLASS programme

Lockheed Martin has revealed a new concept aircraft it calls the Sea Ghost that it will propose for the US Navy's forthcoming unmanned carrier launched surveillance and strike (UCLASS) aircraft.
The company says the design "leverages its experience with the RQ-170 Sentinel unmanned aircraft system (UAS), the Joint Strike Fighter F-35C and other Navy program technologies."

©Lockheed Martin

Lockheed adds that those previous experiences allow the company to provide the USN "with a versatile and supportable carrier-based unmanned aircraft solution with capability growth margins to meet future threat scenario requirements."


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Exclusive: U.S., Lockheed reach deal on Israeli F-35s

By Andrea Shalal-Esa

WASHINGTON | Thu Jul 26, 2012 3:57pm EDT

(Reuters) - The Pentagon has reached an agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp on a $450 million program to enhance electronic warfare equipment on the F-35 fighter jet, and integrate Israeli-unique systems beginning in 2016, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
The deal, to be finalized in coming weeks, marks a big step forward for Israel's $2.75 billion agreement to buy 19 F-35 jets, which was signed in October 2010 and includes options for up to 75 of the radar-evading fighters.

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The Future Of The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Hinges On The Next Few Months

Lockheed Martin

 

Via one of the Pentagon’s official Twitter feeds, this week marks a “milestone” in the development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with its first international delivery.

Officially announced via a joint briefing by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and his British counterpart Philip Hammond, the short takeoff F-35C variant is ready to be delivered to the first country to join in the development partnership with the U.S.

The British government had at one point sought to purchase the F-35B carrier variant JSFs, though the plan was scrapped once the cash-strapped nation saw the costs of outfitting its Queen Elizabeth class carriers balloon upwards.

The F-35 program, envisioned as a cheaper single engined alternative to the too-hot-for-export F-22, has been marked by cost overruns (though, really, what Pentagon program hasn't been), which have caused headaches for would-be foreign buyers that seek to justify not only per unit purchase price, but also the operational costs of maintaining the aircraft.  

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Lockheed's Sniper hits target with Oman F-16 deal

Oman is to acquire a further batch of Sniper advanced targeting pods from Lockheed Martin under a $23 million deal with the US contractor.
To be carried by the Royal Air Force of Oman's future expanded fleet of Lockheed F-16C/D fighters, the equipment will provide pilots with "critical long-range, positive target identification", the company says.
Lockheed says its contract also includes work to upgrade earlier Sniper pods delivered for integration with the air force's 12 F-16C/Ds. Muscat ordered a follow-on batch of 12 Block 50-standard aircraft last December, with deliveries to conclude by November 2016.

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Lockheed orders AN/ALQ-213A DAC from Terma

Terma North America has received a contract from Lockheed Martin to provide the AN/ALQ-213A Defensive Aids Controller (DAC) system to support integration of a missile warning system on the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft of an undisclosed international customer.
Awarded at the recently concluded 2012 Farnborough International Airshow in the UK, the contract also includes the delivery of associated engineering services to help facilitate the installation process.
Derived from the family of Terma's AN/ALQ-213 EW controller systems, the ALQ-213A DAC provides C-130J operators with improved survivability and advanced capabilities, such as data recording, embedded cockpit-crew training and enhanced threat response processing.
The DAC also offers the chance to develop an enhanced defensive systems suite, equipped with a variety of different sensors and countermeasure subsystems.
The AN/ALQ-213 system is currently operational aboard 1,000 US A-10 Thunderbolt and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, in addition to more than 700 international Lockheed-built F-16 Fighting Falcons, C-130 Hercules aircraft,the Boeing-built AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook, and the General Dynamics-built F-111 Aardvark aircraft.

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Laser Powers Lockheed Martin's Stalker UAS For 48 Hours

Stalker is a small, silent UAS used by Special Operations Forces since 2006 to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
 

Lockheed Martin and LaserMotive recently demonstrated the capabilities of an innovative laser power system to extend the Stalker Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) flight time to more than 48 hours. This increase in flight duration represents an improvement of 2,400 percent. Stalker is a small, silent UAS used by Special Operations Forces since 2006 to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

"We're pleased with the results of this test. Laser power holds real promise in extending the capabilities of Stalker," said Tom Koonce, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Stalker program manager.

"A ground-to-air recharging system like this allows us to provide practically unlimited flight endurance to extend and expand the mission profiles that the Stalker vehicle can fulfill."

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Boeing, BAE Systems Compete for F-16 Upgrade Work

Korea is one of many countries seeking to upgrade their F-16s. Lockheed Martin is facing competition from BAE Systems and Boeing for the work. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

 

 

July 13, 2012, 2:50 PM

Competition in the F-16 upgrade market is heating up, with Boeing joining BAE Systems in challenging Lockheed Martin’s dominance as OEM. Boeing is touting the experience it gained recently in converting F-16s to unmanned drones for the U.S. Air Force. BAE Systems continues to emphasize its 270-aircraft upgrade for the U.S. National Guard, as a basis for securing international work.
“Each customer’s need for F-16 upgrade work is different; there is not a stock solution. They need choice and competition,” said Floyd McConnell, vice president for integrated aviation solutions at BAE Systems. Speaking at the Farnborough show, he said that the needs could be divided into four categories: evolving threats, avionics modernization, obsolescence management and long-term support. BAE Systems’ new commercial fire control computer (CFCC) is the glue that could bind the various parts of the F-16’s mission systems, said McConnell. He added that BAE Systems is agnostic regarding the rival merits of the new AESA radars that Northrop Grumman and Raytheon have proposed for the Fighting Falcon.


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