Longbow Limited (LBL), a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman Corporation , has received a contract to provide eight Longbow fire control radars and support to the government of Kuwait. The firm-fixed-price award, valued at more than $46 million (USD), is part of that country's purchase of 16 AH-64D Apache helicopters, manufactured by The Boeing Company.

"Longbow enables the Apache to respond to a full spectrum of threats in all weather and battlefield conditions at the maximum range of the Longbow missile," said Rich Russell, president of LBL. "The Longbow Weapon System gives the Apache its lethal edge."

Longbow's radar enables the pilot to rapidly and automatically search, detect, locate, classify and prioritize multiple moving and stationary targets.

"The Apache Longbow will enable Kuwait to protect its borders with the world's most sophisticated attack helicopter weapon system in production today," said Tim Rodgers, vice president of LBL. "The system's unique fire- and-forget capability reduces aircraft exposure time, allowing the pilot to get out of harm's way."

Work will be performed in Baltimore, MD, Huntsville and Troy, AL, and Orlando, FL, and is expected to be completed by November 2008. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL, is the contracting activity.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, 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.

Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of defense and commercial electronics and systems including airborne radar, navigation systems, electronic countermeasures, precision weapons, airspace management systems, communications systems, space systems, marine and naval systems, government systems and logistics services.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin