COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The system that provides U.S. Theater Combatant Commanders and partner nations with U.S. missile event information will continue to be supported by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]. The U.S. Air Force Electronics System Center, Space C2 and Surveillance Division, awarded Lockheed Martin a follow-on contract to continue sustainment of the Shared Early Warning System (SEWS), a U.S. only program that supports Combatant Commanders and select foreign nations by distributing data from existing U.S. missile warning systems. 

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The initial contract award is for $21.5 million. The potential value of the contract over a five-year period is $78 million.

"The SEWS mission has evolved over the many years that Lockheed Martin has supported the system," said Cliff Spier, Vice President of C2 Solutions for Lockheed Martin IS&GS-Defense. "We'll continue to ensure that the SEWS program provides agile, affordable and timely missile event data to our COCOMS and our partner nations."

Under this contract, Lockheed Martin will sustain SEWS, which is currently installed at 37 sites around the world. The system provides required support to three different theater areas of responsibility: the U.S. European Command, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Pacific Command regions.  The SEWS team with Lockheed Martin will also continue to standardize and normalize the SEWS system architecture, while at the same time meeting the aggressive timelines required by installations to support foreign nations and Combatant Commanders' Situational Awareness feeds. 

The team will also provide engineering and administrative support of the SEWS program in the areas of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case development, International Traffic and Arms Regulations (ITAR)/export control, releasability planning, equipment acquisition, configuration management, equipment installation, maintenance/sustainment, and research & development initiatives. 

The SEWS customer is Electronics System Center, Space C2 and Surveillance Division located at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 123,000 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 net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.

For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/isc2.html

SOURCE Lockheed Martin