All three of Lockheed Martin's major aircraft design and manufacturing sites recently completed registration to AS 9100, the newest international aerospace quality standard.

AS 9100 is published by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) as the aerospace version of the ISO 9001 quality management standard. It includes the ISO standard and 83 additional requirements specific to aerospace business operations.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. decided to pursue AS 9100 two years ago to strengthen its competitive position and to standardize quality processes across its aircraft programs, which serve customers in 70 countries. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is considered the first major aerospace company to receive AS 9100 certification.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has major sites in Fort Worth, Texas; Marietta, Ga.; and Palmdale, Calif. BSI Management Systems is the third-party registrar for the company's quality system, responsible for verifying that the company meets all tenets of the AS 9100 standard.

Following extensive audits by BSI (British Standards Institution), Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth site attained AS 9100 registration in February 2003. The Marietta site became registered in early June; the registration includes subassembly plants located in Clarksburg, W.V., and Meridian, Miss. Lockheed Martin's Palmdale site, home of the Skunk Works, was also recommended for AS 9100 registration in June, marking the completion of company-wide certification.

"The results of this effort demonstrate Lockheed Martin's leadership role in advancing quality systems, implementing as well as flowing down quality requirements," said Stewart Thackray, area manager and lead auditor for BSI Management Systems.

"Achievement of AS 9100 registration across all of our major operations is a significant accomplishment that allows our customers to have even greater confidence in the quality of Lockheed Martin's aircraft and aeronautical products," said Dain M. Hancock, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. "Demonstrating that we meet the AS 9100 standard has required a lot of hard work and commitment from our workforce, and we're extremely proud of the teams that made it happen. It strongly supports our vision of being the world's best military aeronautics company."

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., a business area of Lockheed Martin, 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 on 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.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin Corp. employs about 125,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2002 sales of $26.6 billion.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company