Advanced Technology Systems News

Lockheed Martin inform that the U.S. Air Force has awarded it more than $245 million in contract options to complete production of its seventh and eighth next-generation Global Positioning System satellites, known as GPS III. “With eight GPS III satellites now fully under contract, the GPS III program is moving from development into recurring production,” said Mark Stewart, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Navigation Systems mission area. GPS III is an important program for the Air Force…

A Lockheed Martin-led industry team completed Builder's Sea Trials for Fort Worth, the nation's third littoral combat ship. The trials – a coordinated effort between the U.S. Navy and the Lockheed Martin team including Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) – were conducted in the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. They included operational testing of the vessel's propulsion, communications, navigation and mission systems, as well as all support systems. "Successful completion of Builder's Sea Trials means we are on track for the Navy's Acceptance Trials, putting us a big step closer to getting the Navy the ships it needs," said Joe North, vice president of littoral ship systems for Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems and Sensors business.

Lockheed Martin has received a six-year contract from the U.S. Navy to provide performance-based logistics support for the AN/UYQ-70 (Q-70) Advanced Display System. The contract provides Q-70 logistics and supply support at over $13m a year for the first two years, with options for additional support over the next four years, bringing the total potential contract value to $72m. This contract follows a recently awarded $525.6m modification to the NAVSEA AN/UYQ-70(V) Advanced Display Systems production contract. The contract will be managed out of Lockheed Martin's business in Eagan, Minn., and products will be delivered from the company's Virginia Beach, Va., location. If option years are exercised, the contract will continue until 2014. Q-70 systems are widely used in U.S.

Lockheed Martin celebrated completion and delivery of its 50th destroyer-bound Aegis Weapon System today with a "pull-the-plug" ceremony at the company's Moorestown facility. The ceremony marks the completion of testing and signifies that the system is ready for shipboard installation. The system, to be packed and loaded in 23 tractor trailers, will be delivered for installation in the destroyer Kidd (DDG 100). "We at the Navy truly appreciate the consistent quality you put forth on a daily basis," said Fernando Omega, PEO IWS Project Lead for Aegis Weapon System production. "Pulling Plug is the culmination of a team effort extending throughout the entire production process.

The Oceanic Princess, the first of two new cable laying vessels purchased for conversion by specialist UK shipping group James Fisher and Sons PLC in the second half of last year, has been delivered on long term charter to it-International Telecom, a subsidiary of Advanced Technology Systems, Greensboro, N.C. Delivery to it-International on May 4 follows the successful completion of sea trials for the 5,000-ton former RoRo vessel, converted to its new role at the Victor Lenac shipyard in Rijeka, Croatia. Conversion work on the second ship, the 3,000-ton Oceanic Pearl, is at an advanced stage. This vessel is expected to undergo sea trials later in the summer prior to going on charter to it-International.

Lockheed Martin has been awarded an initial $67 million contract to continue production, delivery and installation of the MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) for the U.S. Navy. The contract includes production of launchers for two Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) Aegis-equipped destroyers, as well as a major upgrade of five other destroyers already equipped with MK 41 VLS. An additional contract option of $129 million for U.S. Navy and Foreign Military Sales requirements in support of Korea’s KDX-III shipbuilding program could raise the contract's total value to $196 million. United Defense, L.P. of Aberdeen, SD, will be issued a major subcontract to produce major subassemblies for the MK 41 VLS, as will Metric Systems in Fort Walton Beach, FL.

In a ceremony yesterday attended by Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Baltimore County officials and senior U.S. Navy leadership, Lockheed Martin received the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Excellence Award for consistently exceeding design, production, and quality challenges as the prime contractor for the MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS), installed aboard the U.S. Navy’s Aegis-equipped cruisers and destroyers. Capt. Mick Outten, U.S. Navy Program Manager for the MK 41 VLS, said, “I believe that the MK 41 VLS program is one of the great success stories of today’s modern Navy.” He continued, “The MK 41 VLS program is a model…