Daniel J. Crowley has been appointed executive vice president and general manager of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, effective June 30. Crowley will replace Bob Elrod, who has announced his plans to retire from Lockheed Martin after 27 years of service. Crowley will join Tom Burbage, executive vice president and general manager of JSF Program Integration, at the helm of this key international aircraft development effort -- potentially the largest defense procurement program in history.

"Dan Crowley brings 22 years of aerospace experience to the JSF program, and more importantly, a reputation for enlightened management practices that have greatly benefited the programs and companies he has administered," said Ralph Heath, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. "Dan enters the program at a critical time, as our optimized F-35 designs mature and final- assembly activities begin. Finding a replacement for someone of Bob Elrod's caliber hasn't been easy, but Dan is clearly the person to ensure that the program stays on track for important milestones like next year's first flight."

Crowley currently is president of Orlando, Fla.-based Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training & Support, a position he has held since May 2003. He leads a 2,700-employee workforce responsible for military training, logistics and support for the F-35, as well as many other military programs like the F-16, C-130, F/A-22 and F-15 aircraft for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Special Operations customers.

As program general manager, Crowley will be responsible for successful completion of the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract, the program's transition to production, and preparation for first flight and testing of the three F-35 variants. He will be accountable for financial, schedule and technical performance; interface with the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office; and long-term program strategies. Crowley will work in tandem with Burbage, whose responsibilities span the extensive international business-development and international relations portion of the program.

Elrod, who has held numerous technical and leadership positions within Lockheed Martin and its heritage companies, will retire on June 30, the day Crowley officially assumes his new position.

"Bob has always taken on the toughest challenges that our company has faced and has consistently delivered results," Heath said.

Elrod oversaw the successful effort to remove weight and improve the performance of the short-takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) version of the F-35, and the resulting new program schedule that is expected to be endorsed by the Defense Acquisition Board on May 5. The design refinements were incorporated early in the program's development phase, avoiding the added time and expense of a potential redesign later in the program.

The F-35 is a next-generation, supersonic, stealth strike fighter designed to replace current-generation fighters that are nearing the end of their service lives. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Companies worldwide are participating in the F-35's development. Two propulsion teams, led by Pratt & Whitney and General Electric, are developing separate, interchangeable engines for the F-35.

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 2004 sales of $35.5 billion.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company