Lockheed Martin has received $36 million from the U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command for Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Unitary Product Improvement missiles.

Work on the contract will be conducted at the company's facilities in Dallas and Horizon City, TX. The first flight of the improved system is expected in January 2008.

The ATACMS Block IA Quick Reaction Unitary (QRU) Missile was combat proven in joint operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and is the latest addition to the current ATACMS family of munitions. The Product Improvement Program focuses on adding a multi-functional fuze/warhead system that is capable of executing air-burst, point detonate or delay missions.

"This contract further demonstrates that the battle-proven ATACMS has become an indispensable tool to the warfighter," said Rick Edwards, vice president -- Tactical Missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "The accuracy and lethality of the ATACMS missile and its vertical impact will further reduce collateral damage, as well as decrease the number of munitions needed for any given target."

ATACMS was the first tactical surface-to-surface missile ever fired in combat by the U.S. Army during Operation Desert Storm. ATACMS is a combat- proven evolutionary family of missiles which scored numerous successes again in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), where 456 missiles were fired.

The Army TACMS Unitary missile is a responsive, all weather, long-range missile, with a high explosive, fragmentation, multifunctional warhead fired from the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) family of launchers, including the MLRS 270A1 launcher and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). ATACMS Unitary has a much more efficient logistical footprint, while it expands the traditional target-set for Army TACMS.

"After 15 years of impressive performance, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to the warfighter," said Greg Kavanagh, ATACMS program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "The ATACMS record speaks for itself, as we continue to build extraordinary reliability into this system. And ATACMS production has remained on-budget and ahead of schedule for more than 15 years."

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 135,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin