Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine has awarded its 2002 Quality Center Award to the U.S. Air Force/industry F/A-22 Raptor air dominance fighter program team for successfully executing all program requirements with strict adherence to the highest quality within tight budget restraints.

The award, established in 1998, identifies and celebrates the aerospace industry's ability to initiate quality practices in development and manufacturing products for the civil aviation, military and space industries. Previous recipients of the Aviation Week Quality Center Award are the Wichita Aerospace team, U.S. Air Force Materiel Command, Naval Air Systems Command, Toulouse Aerospace Center and the F/A-18E/F team.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., a business area of Lockheed Martin Corp. , leads the F/A-22 Raptor industry team.

"Speaking on behalf of the 1,000 suppliers in 46 states that contribute time, talent and energy to the F/A-22 program, we are truly honored to receive this prestigious award," said Bob Rearden, vice president and F/A-22 program general manager at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

Aviation Week awarded the F/A-22 program because of the team's ability to successfully develop and execute the following criteria: development of high- quality products and continuous process improvement techniques; organization- wide focus on customer needs; aviation/aerospace economic activity and employment; and leadership in spreading quality initiatives among numerous suppliers, customers and partners.

Also named in the award are the F/A-22 Raptor program's key, first-tier suppliers and partners, which include Boeing, engine-maker Pratt & Whitney, avionics suppliers BAE Systems North America and TRW, and the Northrop Grumman-led joint venture with Raytheon for the aircraft's radar system.

The F/A-22 Raptor air dominance fighter is built by Lockheed Martin in partnership with Boeing, powered by Pratt and Whitney engines and made from parts and subsystems provided by approximately 1,200 subcontractors and suppliers in 46 states. Principal production activities take place at Lockheed Martin facilities in Marietta, Ga., Fort Worth, Texas, and Palmdale, Calif., as well as at Boeing's plant in Seattle, Wash.

Final assembly and initial flight-testing of the Raptor occurs at the Marietta factory, headquarters for the F/A-22 program's contractor team. The Raptor's low-observable wing and vertical tail edges, low-observable antennas and radomes are built in Palmdale while its mid-fuselage is built in Fort Worth. Boeing builds the aircraft's aft fuselage and main part of the wings.

The Raptor will replace the aging F-15 Eagle as America's premier front- line fighter jet starting in 2005. The Raptor's balanced design of stealth, supercruise speed and extreme agility, along with its advanced integrated avionics and overall user-friendliness, makes the aircraft truly transformational and will allow the F/A-22 to help the Pentagon shorten future wars and save American and allied lives.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a leader in the design, development, systems integration, production and support of advanced military aircraft and related technologies. Its customers include the military services of the United States and allied countries throughout the world. Products include the F-16, F/A-22, F-35 JSF, F-117, T-50, C-5, C-130, C-130J, P-3, S-3 and U-2.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp., headquartered in Bethesda, Md. Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. Employing about 125,000 people worldwide, Lockheed Martin had 2001 sales of $24 billion.

For more information on Lockheed Martin Corp., visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/

For more information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., visit: http://www.lmaeronautics.com/

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company