ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air Force selected Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) as the winner of the 60 percent share of the Advanced Targeting Pod-Sensor Enhancement (ATP-SE) competition.  Lockheed Martin's Sniper® pod offering was determined to be the best overall value to the U.S. Government.  

Under the terms of this contract, the Government has options to buy up to 670 pods through 2017.  If all options are exercised, Lockheed Martin's share of the program will total more than $1 billion.  The initial contract value is $23.5 million, which will provide pods for the Government's test program.

"Lockheed Martin is proud to remain the U.S. Air Force's targeting pod of choice, and we look forward to fielding Sniper in the ATP-SE configuration to provide even greater capability to the Warfighter," said Tom Simmons, vice president of Fire Control at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.  

With new enhanced sensors for combat identification and a two-way datalink, Sniper expands non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and net-centric capabilities.  

Sniper offers an affordable road map for modernizing and enhancing precision targeting capabilities for U.S. Air Force and coalition partner F-15, F-16, A-10, B-1 and B-52 aircraft.  The Sniper pod's hardware and software configuration provides continued "plug-and-play" flexibility across services and multiple platforms.  The Sensor Enhancement configuration is a field-level upgrade to existing pods.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 133,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2009 sales from continuing operations were $44.0 billion.

For additional information, visit our web site: http://www.lockheedmartin.com

SOURCE Lockheed Martin