DALLAS, Dec. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) team successfully completed the government's Manufacturing Readiness Assessment (MRA), an important milestone on the path to vehicle production at the company's Camden, Ark., manufacturing complex.

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The MRA, which measures manufacturing maturity and assesses technical risk, took place at Lockheed Martin's Camden Operations on Nov. 18 and 19. In October, the company announced plans to produce the JLTV at the award-winning Camden facility, where program officials expect to gain significant production efficiencies and cost reductions.

"We look forward to adding another joint U.S. Army/Marine Corps vehicle-manufacturing program to our Camden Operations," said Scott Greene, vice president of Ground Vehicles for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "With proven assembly methods, a keen focus on efficiency and a highly skilled workforce, we are confident that the tremendous success we've achieved producing the HIMARS launcher for the Army and Marines will translate to an outstanding JLTV for those very same customers."

The Lockheed Martin JLTV is designed to replace many of the current Army and Marine Corps HMMWV "Humvee" vehicles, providing significant advances in survivability and capability.

Lockheed Martin's Camden Operations has received more than 60 awards over the last decade, including the 2012 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the Shingo Silver Medallion Award for Operation Excellence. 

The Lockheed Martin JLTV is systems-engineered to provide the crew protection of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, while returning crucial mobility, reliability and transportability to Soldiers and Marines. A patented Meritor Pro-Tec^TM all-independent air-ride suspension brings unprecedented agility and off-road mobility to this class of vehicles, while the dependable Cummins turbo diesel and Allison transmission combine abundant power with exceptional fuel efficiency. Rounding out the vehicle's portfolio of capabilities are an exportable power-generation with substantial margin for future growth, and state-of-the art connectivity with other platforms.

For more than three decades, Lockheed Martin has applied its systems-integration expertise to a wide range of successful ground vehicles for U.S. and allied forces worldwide. The company's products include the combat-proven Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) M270-series and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) mobile launchers, Havoc 8x8, Common Vehicle, Light Armored Vehicle-Command and Control, Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme, Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and pioneering unmanned platforms such as the Squad Mission Support System (SMSS).

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 their achievements in leadership, strategic planning, customer relations, measurement, analysis, workforce excellence, operations and results.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 116,000 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