The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command has selected Lockheed Martin to provide a variety of aircraft maintenance and modification services for the P-3 Orion under the Sustainment Modification Installation Program. The five-year indefinite- delivery, indefinite-quantity contract is valued at approximately $121 million.

Under the contract, Lockheed Martin Aircraft & Logistics Centers will provide phased depot level maintenance, significant structural inspections, heavy structural modifications including wing replacement to improve fatigue life, and kit installation to improve mission effectiveness on the Navy's fleet of 172 P-3s. The work will be performed at the company's facility in Greenville, S.C., and at the site of the primary subcontractor, I.M.P. Aerospace, in Nova Scotia, Canada.

"The P-3 maritime patrol aircraft is an extremely important naval aviation asset," said Ed Bergin, Aircraft and Logistics Centers' President. "We are committed to providing the highest level of quality support for the Navy and the warfighters who fly the Orion."

Lockheed Martin, the OEM of the P-3, has delivered nearly 300 P-3s from its maintenance and modification facility in Greenville over the past seven years.

The P-3 Orion entered Navy service in 1962. It is described as a four- engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft; however, its mission has evolved in recent years to include surveillance of the battle space, either at sea or over land.

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