Interview Opportunities:

Immediately following the launch ceremony there will be a brief media availability session with Congresswoman Granger, the ship's sponsor, Lockheed Martin Vice President of Ship and Aviation Systems Dan Schultz, LCS Program Manager Joe North and Marinette Marine CEO Richard McCreary.

Video/Photo/Satellite Feed: The christening ceremony and the side launch of Fort Worth will offer dramatic video and photo opportunities. Video footage of the launch, for those not attending the event, will be available for download within 24 hours of the launch.

Background: In March 2009, the U.S. Navy awarded the Lockheed Martin-led industry team a fixed-price incentive fee contract to build the third LCS. LCS 3, the future USS Fort Worth, is being built in Marinette, Wis., and is more than 70 percent complete. Construction remains on cost and the ship will be delivered to the Navy in 2012.

Fort Worth's christening ceremony will include the traditional smashing of a champagne bottle across the ship's bow, performed by ship's sponsor Congresswoman Granger.

In addition to Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, the Lockheed Martin-led industry team for Fort Worth includes naval architect Gibbs & Cox as well as best-of-industry domestic and international companies.

The Lockheed Martin-led team designed and constructed the nation's first LCS, USS Freedom, which completed its highly successful maiden deployment this past summer and is homeported in San Diego, Cali. Both USS Freedom and Fort Worth are part of an entirely new class of surface combatant ships designed to defeat growing littoral – or close-to-shore – threats and perform a variety of missions such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare and humanitarian relief.

For additional information about Lockheed Martin, visit:

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/ms2/ and http://www.lmlcsteam.com

/PRNewswire/ -- Dec. 1, 2010/

SOURCE Lockheed Martin