Responding to aging weapons systems, rising operations and maintenance costs, and struggling international economies, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Global Sustainment is critical in keeping military aircraft operationally effective and relevant for global security.

"Global sustainment at Lockheed Martin is not just about parts, maintenance and services. It's about total support for our customers with solutions across all our product lines, from initial design to aircraft retirement," said Rob Weiss, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Global Sustainment. "In partnership with government and industry, we commit to long-term relationships with our customers to offer them best readiness at best value."

Weiss described the new paradigm for Global Sustainment as integrated life-cycle solutions: a combination of the synergies of aircraft design, production and sustainment that provides engineering reach-back and total asset visibility with a systematic approach to problem resolution. This reach-back and total asset visibility offer speed, efficiency and economies of scale, which are key factors in providing best value to the customer.

Also, responding to customer needs, Lockheed Martin Global Sustainment embraces the United States Department of Defense performance-based logistics (PBL) concept and continues to receive requests for partnerships from governments and industry to provide total logistics support for military aircraft.

During the briefing in Paris, Weiss showcased how the company supports its customers' aircraft with a first-hand, high-tech demonstration of its reach-back capability from the Paris Air Show chalet to the Sustainment Operations Center and aircraft flightline in Fort Worth, Texas.

"Through the Lockheed Martin Sustainment Operations Center we can monitor fleet aircraft readiness for all our platforms," said Kimberly Gavaletz, vice president F-35 sustainment. "Our capability provides connectivity through our technology infrastructure tied to production, engineering and the supply chain. In the past, these functions worked independently, but today, through our integrated life-cycle-solutions, we can provide a response to our customers in near-real time to get aircraft back in the air and keep them flying."

In March, the company signed a partnering agreement with Australian Aerospace to provide Total Life-Cycle Support (TLS) for the Royal Australian Air Force C-130J fleet.

  Other Sustainment Partnerships include:

  --  Hercules Integrated Operational Support (HIOS) for the United Kingdom
      fleet of C-130s
  --  Follow-on Agile Sustainment of the Raptor (FASTeR) for U.S. Air Force
      F-22s
  --  Aircraft Engine Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul
  --  P-3 Aircraft Service Life Extension Program (ASLEP) for domestic and
      international P-3 operators
  --  Modernization of the C-5M Galaxy for the U.S. Air Force

  --  Upgrades and modernization for the worldwide fleet of F-16 Fighting
      Falcons

"We pride ourselves on having the insight to anticipate what our customers need to keep their aircraft mission-ready," Weiss said. "Our mission is to support our customers' missions. Nothing else is more important."

Lockheed Martin is a major supplier of logistics systems, and lifetime support and performance-based logistics services to military and civil government customers. The corporation provides solutions for platform, maintenance, modification and repair, material readiness and distribution, and global supply chain command and control.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 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 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

For additional information on Lockheed Martin Corporation, visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company