ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Advanced Electronics Company (AEC) will establish a Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) Expanded Repair Capability facility in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – the first Sniper support facility established outside the United States.

Designed to support the Royal Saudi Air Force's (RSAF) Sniper ATPs, the Expanded Repair Capability facility will provide both affordability benefits and expedited repair times for the RSAF. Lockheed Martin employees will train AEC technicians to perform maintenance on Sniper ATP line replaceable units, and future AEC support will include managing logistics and completing product upgrades for both Sniper ATP and LANTIRN™ pods.

"Providing in-Kingdom support with AEC ensures that Sniper ATP capability is readily available for the RSAF," said John Rogers, F-15SA program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "AEC is a strategic partner in the Kingdom, and we look forward to finding additional opportunities to work together."

Lockheed Martin and AEC will establish the Sniper ATP Expanded Repair Capability facility in cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Economic Offset Program. The facility is part of an existing offset agreement between the Saudi Arabia Economic Offset Committee and Lockheed Martin. AEC is a Saudi-based company focused on electronics manufacturing, system integration, and repair and maintenance services. Lockheed Martin and AEC have previously collaborated on Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor Special Repair Activities and LANTIRN targeting and navigation pods.  

"AEC is proud to be associated with Lockheed Martin," said Dr. Ghassan Al Shibl, president and chief executive officer of AEC. "AEC excellence is achieved through our people. AEC is committed to achieving Saudi Government objectives by building a first-class capability relying substantially on a Saudi workforce. I would like to express my appreciation to Lockheed Martin for its vision in establishing significant local content on the Sniper ATP."

Sniper ATP provides pilots with high-resolution imagery for precision targeting and non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. In use by the U.S. Air Force and 16 countries, Sniper ATP is interoperable across multiple platforms, including U.S. Air Force and multi-national F-15, F-16, F-18, A-10, B-1 and B-52 aircraft.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 113,000 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 2013 were $45.4 billion.

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SOURCE Lockheed Martin