Lockheed Martin UK-led Team Athena has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the Land Environment Air Picture Provision (LEAPP) programme which will provide troops on the ground with a new level of situational awareness.

The contract award comes after a two-year assessment phase during which the Lockheed Martin team proved the strength and capability of its solution, including providing a version of LEAPP to the MoD as an Urgent Operational Requirement. The contract, worth approximately 100 million pounds Sterling ($198 million USD), will see systems delivered from 2010.

Steve Wyatt, Joint Sensor and Engagement Networks Integrated Project Team Leader said: "LEAPP is a significant step forward in the arena of Network Enabled Capability. By effective fusing of the right data and ensuring it is presented rapidly and in the right usable format to the people who really need it, LEAPP provides a step-change in the level of situational awareness."

Stephen Ball, managing director Lockheed Martin UK -- INSYS, on behalf of Team Athena said: "LEAPP draws together information from a variety of sources to provide troops on the ground with a precise and timely picture of what is going on in the air. By sharing this information quickly, securely and accurately LEAPP will have huge implications for the way future battles are fought."

LEAPP gives ground commanders 'decision-quality' data in near real-time which they can use to co-ordinate, plan and strike effectively. By improving situational awareness it reduces the chances of 'blue-on-blue' incidents and ensures commanders get the most from their available equipment. The core capability is integrated into a truck, allowing it to move rapidly around the battlefield.

"LEAPP is an important programme for Lockheed Martin because it adds a key element to our Air and Missile Defence portfolio and it expands our global partnership," said Mike Trotsky, vice president -- Air & Missile Defence for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "We anticipate the LEAPP capability to deliver modern integrated situational awareness will be a key building block in Air and Missile Defence systems of the future."

LEAPP works with the Saab Giraffe Agile Multi-Beam Radar on the ground and Link 16 in the air and other sources to create a comprehensive picture of the air component.

Team Athena is led by Lockheed Martin and includes BAE Systems, L-3 Advanced Systems Architectures, Systems Consultants Services Limited, Saab AB, Rockwell Collins(UK) Ltd. and QinetiQ.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, 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 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.

Lockheed Martin UK, a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation , is a leader in systems integration working on major programmes spanning the aerospace, defence and civil sectors. Lockheed Martin works with more than 100 business partners and employs over 1700 people at 12 sites across the UK.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin