The U.S. Naval Air Training Command (NATRACOM) has awarded Lockheed Martin the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) Classroom and Simulator Services contract valued at $82.2 million.

The five-year contract, with one-year base and four one-year extensions, allows Lockheed Martin to continue providing classroom and simulator-based training to U.S. Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and foreign aviators, flight officers and support crews. Lockheed Martin has provided these services to NATRACOM for 14 years.

Students earn their "Wings of Gold" after undergoing some of the most advanced and comprehensive aviation training. Pilots earn their wings to fly jets, helicopters, propeller craft and other fixed-wing aircraft. In addition, naval flight officers are trained to effectively use the complex tactical and communications systems found in Navy and Marine Corps aircraft. These highly qualified pilots then move on to fly from land bases and sea platforms to perform missions around the globe.

2,500 students pass through CNATRA each year. The program's mission is to produce Naval Aviators who meet the skill requirements of their fleet customers within a strictly controlled production schedule. Headquartered in Corpus Christi, Texas, training is coordinated through five training wings around the United States. The locations are Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian, MS; NAS Pensacola, FL; NAS Whiting Field, FL; NAS Corpus Christi and NAS Kingsville, TX.

"We are pleased that the Navy has chosen Lockheed Martin to continue to work with them to produce the finest pilots and support crews in the world," said Carey Smith, Vice President, Naval and Maritime Programs, Lockheed Martin Systems Management, the company awarded the contract. "We are committed to an enduring relationship with NATRACOM as we help them achieve their vision of greater training efficiency and their mission to train the world's best naval aviators."

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin employs about 125,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the 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