The Lockheed Martin -led F-22 Raptor air dominance fighter team was awarded the Robert J. Collier Trophy for 2006 in ceremonies in Washington, D.C., on June 8. The Collier Trophy, given annually by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), is regarded as the most prestigious award in American aviation.

"This award is a tribute to an incredible team of contractors, suppliers and leaders in the United States Congress, Department of Defense and Air Force, who never lost sight of the vision for this aircraft," said Ralph Heath, Executive Vice President-Aeronautics for Lockheed Martin Corporation. "Together, we pay tribute to the men and women who will take the Raptor into harm's way to establish and maintain air dominance. It is for them we created the world's first fifth-generation fighter."

The NAA is the oldest national aviation organization in the United States dedicated to the advancement of the art, sport and science of aviation. The Collier Trophy was established in 1911 and is granted each year "for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America during the preceding calendar year."

NAA President and CEO David Ivey said the fighter's performance has "established the unquestionable superiority of the Raptor, a culmination of years of visionary design, rigorous testing and innovative manufacturing."

The F-22 was specifically cited for its performance in the 2006 Northern Edge military exercise. During this large-scale, force-on-force exercise, Raptor pilots flew an amazing 97 percent of their scheduled missions, achieved an 80-to-1 kill ratio against their Red Air opponents, scored direct hits with 100 percent of their satellite-guided 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition air-to-ground weapons, and increased overall situational awareness for the entire Blue Force through the F-22's integrated avionics.

"Joint and allied force commanders talk about the commanding presence of the F-22 and how the Raptor makes everyone in the battlespace better," said Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company Executive Vice President and F-22 Program General Manager Larry Lawson. "Pilots will tell you about the quantum leap in situational awareness the Raptor provides, and maintainers are amazed at how much easier it is to keep the F-22 in the air day-in and day-out in any environment. That is the level of performance and reliability the F-22 is delivering today."

The F-22 Raptor, the world's most advanced fighter, is built by Lockheed Martin in partnership with Boeing and Pratt & Whitney. Parts and subsystems are provided by approximately 1,000 suppliers in 44 U.S. states. F-22 production takes place at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics facilities in Marietta, Ga.; Fort Worth, Texas; Palmdale, Calif.; and Meridian, Miss., as well as at Boeing's plant in Seattle, Wash. Final assembly and initial flight testing of the Raptor occurs in Marietta.

The award to the Raptor team marks the sixteenth time Lockheed Martin or its aircraft have been honored with the Collier Trophy. The first win came in 1932 for the B-10, the first all-metal bomber. Other legacy Lockheed Martin aircraft that have earned Collier recognition include the XC-35, the world's first pressurized aircraft; the F-104 Starfighter, the world's first Mach 2 fighter; the Lockheed A-11 (A-12) "Blackbird" triple-sonic reconnaissance aircraft; the F-16 Fighting Falcon, for innovative fighter effectiveness; the F-117 Nighthawk, the world's first operational stealth fighter; and the U-2S Dragon Lady high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. Lockheed Martin was also a key member of the integrated lift fan propulsion system validated on the X-35B, the Joint Strike Fighter demonstrator aircraft.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2006 sales of $39.6 billion.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company