Lockheed Martin was awarded a $220 million contract by the U.S. Air Force for the concept development phase of the Space Based Radar (SBR) program. The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center awarded the 24-month study contract to continue the definition of SBR system requirements and evaluate alternative design concepts for the SBR system architecture. Final selection of the prime contractor for the multi-billion dollar program will be made in 2006, with initial launch scheduled for 2012.

"We are very pleased to be chosen by the Air Force and the SBR Joint Program Office for the next development phase of the program. This contract provides our team, comprised of the best in the industry, with the opportunity to bring forward the breadth of expertise and experience in large-scale systems integration, space and ground systems, remote sensing and intelligence systems, all of which are vital for a successful Space Based Radar system that is affordable, highly effective and low risk," said G. Thomas Marsh, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Executive Vice President.

Space Based Radar is a transformational system being developed for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to provide global intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) for the military and intelligence community. The SBR system will be comprised of a constellation of spacecraft that will provide rapid-revisit coverage of the entire Earth's surface. SBR will enable persistent real-time intelligence on adversary activity through the identification and tracking of moving targets, high-resolution synthetic aperture radar imaging, and collection of high-resolution terrain information. During the Concept Development effort, Lockheed Martin will develop and evaluate multiple candidate architectures for a SBR system, including the horizontal integration of SBR with other existing and planned ISR assets.

"Our team, which includes Northrop Grumman, Harris, General Dynamics Decision Systems, Cisco and Honeywell, is already working to demonstrate the maturity of our technologies and to define a system that will give our warfighters, our allies and the national intelligence community a critical edge in gathering information on the activities of our adversaries," said Don DeGryse, vice president of the Space Based Radar program at Lockheed Martin Space Systems.

Lockheed Martin is one of two contractors competing to be the prime contractor and system integrator for the program and has been under contract to the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center since December 2002 to perform trade studies and define alternative concepts for the SBR system.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, headquartered near Denver, Colo., is one of the major operating units of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Space Systems Company designs, develops, tests and manufactures a variety of advanced technology systems for space and defense. Chief products include space launch systems, defense systems, interplanetary and science spacecraft, spacecraft for commercial and government customers, fleet ballistic missiles and missile defense systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2003 sales of $31.8 billion.

CONTACT: Joan Underwood of Lockheed Martin, +1-303-971-7398, or joan.b.underwood@lmco.com.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin