Lockheed Martin Corp.: Air Force Contracts Aim High

July 9, 2009
Recent deals total $90 million; CEO calls for more partnerships

Defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. landed two significant Air Force contracts in just over a week. The most recent is a two-year $60 million award for depot and maintenance support for Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) navigation and targeting pods, which are designed to allow fighter aircraft to attack targets at night and in adverse weather conditions, the company said in a July 8 statement.

Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will continue to operate the government-owned Worldwide Depot at Warner Robins Air Force Base, Ga., through 2014. The contract extends an 11-year partnership with the Warner Robins base. The award comes less than two weeks after Lockheed Martin announced a $30 million contract with the Air Force to begin concept development for Space Fence, a radar system and supporting operations centers that will detect and report on objects and debris orbiting the earth.

The company will perform prototyping, design, trade studies and analysis of potential system configurations and eventually a system design review and final prototyping demonstration. The contract also calls for Lockheed Martin to perform site and facility surveys and planning and development of network-centric approaches to integrate with the existing architecture of the program.

Lockheed Martin is leading a team on the project that includes General Dynamics, AT&T and AMEC, the company said in a June 30 statement.

Lockheed Martin President and CEO Bob Stevens stressed the need for partnerships in business, particularly outside the United States during a media event on June 14.

Lockheed Martin Corp.
At A Glance


Lockheed Martin Corp.
Bethesda, Md.
Primary Industry: Aerospace & Defense
Number of Employees: 146,000
2008 In Review
Revenue: $42.73 billion
Profit Margin: 7.53%
Sales Turnover: 1.28
Inventory Turnover: 21.04
Revenue Growth: 2.08%
Return On Assets: 11.12%
Return On Equity: 32.81%
"As tempting as protectionism might be, it is a counterproductive response, distorting markets and dislocating trade flows that, in the long run, hurts customers, companies and taxpayers alike," he said.

Stevens pointed to Lockheed Martin's partnership with EADS subsidiary Eurocopter as an example of globalizations benefits. The companies announced on May 4 that they had teamed to offer a new armed scout helicopter solution to the U.S. Army.

Lockheed Martin is coming off a first quarter during which net income fell nearly 9% to $666 million, or $1.68 a share, compared with $730 million, or $1.75 per share during the same period last year primarily from higher pension costs.

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About the Author

Jonathan Katz | Former Managing Editor

Former Managing Editor Jon Katz covered leadership and strategy, tackling subjects such as lean manufacturing leadership, strategy development and deployment, corporate culture, corporate social responsibility, and growth strategies. As well, he provided news and analysis of successful companies in the chemical and energy industries, including oil and gas, renewable and alternative.

Jon worked as an intern for IndustryWeek before serving as a reporter for The Morning Journal and then as an associate editor for Penton Media’s Supply Chain Technology News.

Jon received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Kent State University and is a die-hard Cleveland sports fan.

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