A Lockheed Martin executive said today that air mobility assets will continue to be the cornerstone of America's ability to respond to crises around the world and that the company's two primary air mobility platforms -- the C-5M and C-130J -- are ideally positioned to play critical roles in carrying out those missions.

Speaking to reporters at the Air Force Association's 2008 Annual Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition, Jim Grant, Lockheed Martin's business development vice president for Air Mobility and Special Operations Programs, acknowledged that budget pressures will continue to exist, but predicted that air mobility recapitalization will be supported.

"The requirement to rapidly move people and equipment is at the very heart of any military or humanitarian engagement," said Grant. "As the lines between strategic and tactical airlift become increasingly blurred, we see a strong demand from U.S. coalition partners around the world to grow and strengthen their own airlift capability."

Grant said the C-5 modernization program will provide the United States with unmatched strategic airlift capability. "The Avionics Modernization installations are on track and development testing of the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program is complete," said Grant. "The next critical step is operational test and evaluation, which will validate the original vision for C-5 modernization."

"When it comes to tactical airlift, the C-130J is delivering truly outstanding operational performance and we are delivering quality aircraft on schedule," Grant said. "As we enter a 'pull' market where demand for C-130Js is growing rapidly, our production rate will increase substantially over the next several years. Additionally, we are expanding our sustainment focus and building a global business of C-130 in-service support."

Grant said Lockheed Martin is looking at new and innovative technologies to shape air mobility platforms for an unpredictable future. "We are specifically focused in the area of composites and weight reduction," he said.

Lockheed Martin is a pioneer in sustainment initiatives, offering a number of flexible and individually tailored support solutions. The company is a major supplier of logistics systems and services to military and civil government customers, and provides solutions for platform maintenance, modifications and repair, material readiness and distribution, and global supply chain command and control.

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 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company