MEADS International (MI) has expanded its Orlando technical management organization to lead development of the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS).

MEADS is a mobile air defense system designed to replace Patriot systems in the United States and Germany and Nike Hercules systems in Italy. It also meets the requirements of Germany's capabilities-oriented air defense concept.

From the outset of the program, MI's Orlando program management office has focused on program management and systems engineering for MEADS. Additional system design work for the tri-national program is performed in Munich, Germany; Rome, Italy; Dallas, TX; Huntsville, AL; and Syracuse, NY. The United States funds 58 percent of the MEADS program, and European partners Germany and Italy provide 25 percent and 17 percent, respectively.

The current executive management team of President Jim Cravens (Lockheed Martin -- U.S.), Executive Vice President Dr. Axel Widera (EADS/LFK -- Germany) and Technical Director Pietro Ragonese (MBDA -- Italy) continues unchanged. Also, Stefano Zalonis (MBDA -- Italy) will continue as business management director. Joining the program management team in Orlando are:

* Volker Weidemann (EADS/LFK -- Germany) has been named director of the Systems Engineering and Integration Team (SEIT). Weidemann, a retired officer in the German air force, has 15 years of engineering management and air defense experience that led to his previous selection as SEIT Deputy Director in 2003. Weidemann replaces Dr. Keith Huddleston, who will retire.

* Robert Grubbs (Lockheed Martin -- U.S.) has been named SEIT deputy director. Grubbs began his career as an Air Force radar technician and has over 20 years of experience in radar and air defense system engineering that led to his previous assignment as manager of the System Engineering Branch. He succeeds Weidemann in his new role.

* Martin Coyne (Lockheed Martin -- U.S.) has been named Business Development director for MEADS International. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy with a degree in Engineering, he was most recently the Ground-based Midcourse Defense Chief-of-Staff and Business Development Director at the Boeing Company.

Three new positions have been added to the program management Team. They address additional scope of the Design and Development contract, and provide added focus on the logistics and production elements of the system, which will enter service in the next decade.

* Howard Berkowitz (Lockheed Martin -- U.S.) has been named Production Operations director for MEADS International. He will transition from his role as Test Engineering Senior Manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. Berkowitz will manage manufacturing planning for MEADS and prepare for the production phase of the program in cooperation with counterparts at EADS/LFK and MBDA Italia.

* Mark Housman (Lockheed Martin -- U.S.) has been named Supportability director for MEADS International. His 27 years' experience with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control includes numerous development and production programs. He is a Certified Safety Professional and a Distinguished Member of the Lockheed Martin Group Technical Staff. Housman will oversee all supportability functions on the program, which include reliability, maintainability and training efforts, and coordinate the MEADS Supportability program with counterparts at EADS/LFK and MBDA Italia.

* Steve Mortensen (Lockheed Martin -- U.S.) has been named Quality Assurance director for MEADS International. He joins MI following program management assignments for Patriot PAC-2 and Air Defense Anti-Tank (ADATS) while also serving as Senior Manager of Program Quality Assurance for Air and Missile Defense Systems. Mortensen will manage the quality program at MEADS International and will define and monitor quality procedures for design, development and test in cooperation with counterparts at EADS/LFK and MBDA Italia.

In announcing the new program management team, MI President Jim Cravens said, "We are pleased that these proven technology managers have joined the MEADS International team. As we work to provide a 21st century air and missile defense system solution for the warfighter, they will lead important tasks in designing, developing, integrating, testing and fielding the system."

On May 31, MI signed a definitized contract to design and develop the next-generation air and missile defense system for Germany, Italy and the United States. The contract is valued at approximately $2 billion plus 1.4 billion euros for the program's 110-month design and development (D&D) phase.

The MEADS program continues its expansion in Orlando and at EADS/LFK, Lockheed Martin, and MBDA Italia locations that currently participate in development of the advanced air and missile defense system.

---

MEADS will provide capabilities beyond any other fielded or planned air and missile defense system. It will be easily deployed to a theater of operations and, once there, will keep pace with fast-moving maneuver forces. When completed, MEADS will be the only air defense system able to roll off tactical transports with the troops and almost immediately begin operations. More importantly, its open architecture will provide for 21st century air defense system-of-system integration capabilities that allow operational mission-tailoring for homeland defense or defense of maneuver forces. MEADS will also provide greater firepower with less manpower than current systems, producing dramatic operation and support cost savings.

In May 2005, NAMEADSMA (a charter organization of NATO) awarded MEADS International (MI) a $3.4 billion EUD Design and Development letter contract for design and development of the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS). MEADS International is a multinational joint venture headquartered in Orlando, FL. Its participating companies are MBDA Italia, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) and Lenkflugkorpersysteme (LFK) in Germany and Lockheed Martin in the United States. Together, these companies have focused an international engineering team in Orlando to develop systems and technologies for the MEADS program, which continues as a successful model for collaborative transatlantic development.

SOURCE: MEADS International