ORLANDO, Fla., June 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] received a $34.2 million Foreign Military Sales contract from the U.S. Air Force to support additional integration of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) onto the Finnish Air Force F-18C/D aircraft.

Finland is the second international customer for JASSM. This second contract for Finland includes test missiles, software development and engineering documentation. The first contract was awarded in 2012, which initiated the six-year integration, production and sustainment effort.

The program is a joint effort between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin and the Finnish Air Force. Airworthiness activities will occur at NAS Patuxent River, Md., followed by flight testing at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, Calif.

"JASSM's capabilities and proven reliability will play an essential role in assisting the Republic of Finland to achieve their national defense objectives," said Bob Adams, international program manager of long-range strike systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "We are on schedule to support the operational requirements of the Finnish Air Force's F-18 mid-life upgrade effort."

The contract award follows several recent JASSM program milestones, including successful completion of the Lot 6 Reliability Assessment Program and completion of the JASSM-ER initial operational test and evaluation program, which resulted in recommendation for full-rate production.

JASSM is an autonomous, air-to-ground, precision-guided standoff missile designed to meet the needs of U.S. and allied warfighters. Armed with a penetrator and blast fragmentation warhead, JASSM cruises autonomously, day or night in all weather conditions. The missile employs an infrared seeker and enhanced digital anti-jam Global Positioning System to find specific points on targets.

The stealthy JASSM is integrated on the U.S. Air Force's B-1, B-2, B-52, F-16 and F-15E. Internationally, JASSM is certified on the F/A-18A/B for the Royal Australian Air Force. Future integration efforts will focus on U.S. and international versions of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft and other international platforms.

JASSM is produced at the company's award-winning manufacturing facility in Troy, Ala., recently honored as an Industry Week "Best Plant" for 2012. The company has assembled more than 1,200 JASSM cruise missiles for testing and operational use toward a total U.S. Air Force objective of 4,900.

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is a 2012 recipient of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for performance excellence. The Malcolm Baldrige Award represents the highest honor that can be awarded to American companies for achievement in leadership, strategic planning, customer relations, measurement, analysis, workforce excellence, operations and business results.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 118,000 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 2012 were $47.2 billion.

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SOURCE Lockheed Martin