A new ceramic rocket nozzle throat for solid rocket motors developed by Lockheed Martin , has received the coveted "Technology Innovation Award" from Aviation Week & Space Technology (AW&ST) magazine.

Earlier this year, the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Lockheed Martin a patent for the new ceramic material, which promises to improve solid rocket motor affordability and performance compared to the current state-of-the-art material.

"Lockheed Martin is honored to have been chosen to receive this prestigious award," said Joe Zegarski, solid rocket motor advanced project lead at Lockheed Martin. "This recognition is a tribute to the teamwork and creativity of our propulsion design engineers and material scientists that will enable Lockheed Martin to provide its customers with more cost-effective missile systems in the future."

Throughout the year, AW&ST reports on select new product developments in its monthly Aerospace Products & Services column. The most innovative of these are nominated for the annual Technology Innovation Award. A distinguished panel of seven judges from the private sector and the military selected four of the most deserving of these nominated products to receive an award and the winners were published in the August 18 issue of the magazine.

In announcing the winners, AW&ST said, "Under development today, the technologies selected as the recipients of our Technology Innovation Awards for 2004 are likely to pay dividends for years to come in new capabilities and improved efficiencies for aerospace manufacturing, aircraft maintenance and space exploration."

The 7th Annual Technology Innovation Awards will be presented during a ceremony on Oct. 28, 2003 at the Aerospace & Defense Programs & Productivity Conference and Exhibition in Arlington, Texas.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif. initiated an advanced materials technology development project in 1997 to assess the feasibility of using ceramic materials in solid rocket motor nozzle throats as part of an ongoing company-funded Independent Research and Development (IRAD) program.

Propulsion design engineers with the Fleet Ballistic Missiles (FBM) program teamed with materials scientists from the company's Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, Calif. to develop and static-fire test a ceramic as a low-erosion rocket nozzle throat material. Lockheed Martin is developing this high-temperature advanced ceramic material for potential use in future solid rocket motor applications.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin employs about 125,000 people worldwide and is a global enterprise 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.

Media Contact: Steve Tatum, 408-742-7531; e-mail, Stephen.o.tatum@lmco.com

For more information about Lockheed Martin Space Systems - Sunnyvale, see our website at http://lmms.external.lmco.com .

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin