Lockheed Martin's Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) has been named winner of the prestigious Order of Daedalians Weapons System Award, the Colonel Franklin C. Wolfe Memorial Trophy. The award is presented annually by the armed services to groups or organizations judged to have contributed the most outstanding weapon system operating in the aerospace environment.

The award, presented June 5 at the 2004 Daedalian Convention in Riverside, CA, is shared by the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Tactical Missiles, the U.S. Army Project Management Office for Precision Fires Rockets and Missiles and Lockheed Martin.

The Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) is a highly mobile, automatic system that fires surface-to-surface rockets and long-range missiles from a variety of launch platforms. An MLRS crew of three can fire up to 12 MLRS rockets or two Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles.

"It is a great honor for Lockheed Martin to share in this prestigious award with our customers in the U.S. Army," said Ron Abbott, Lockheed Martin's vice president -- Tactical Missiles, who accepted the award on behalf of Lockheed Martin. "It seems very fitting that MLRS should receive this honor in the same year that we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding to expand the partnership of MLRS to foreign customers. This system has proven itself in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraq Freedom, and has a bright future with the expanding family of missile and rocket variants now in production."

This award represents the fifth time Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control programs have won the Daedalians award. The Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile won the award in 2000. In 1997, Lockheed Martin's joint venture with Northrop Grumman won the award for the Longbow Hellfire Missile System. Also, in a joint venture with Texas Instruments in 1994, Lockheed Martin received the Daedalians award for the Army's JAVELIN antitank missile program. In 1987, the company's LANTIRN night navigation and targeting system, used on F-14, F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft, won the award as well.

The Order of Daedalians was founded in 1934 to honor aviators who served in World War I. The Daedalian Foundation now recognizes excellence in all areas of aviation with numerous awards and scholarships. The Daedalian Weapon System Award, one of eighteen Daedalian Awards, was first presented in 1970 by Colonel Franklin C. Wolfe, who served as assistant chief and then chief of the Armament Laboratory of the Army Air Forces Materiel Command at Wright Field from 1939 until 1944.

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.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Corporation