DALLAS, Sept. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has manufactured and delivered the first modernized Tactical Missile System (TACMS) missile to the U.S. Army from its Camden, Arkansas, production facility.

As part of the U.S. Army's TACMS Service Life Extension Program inventory refurbishment effort, the modernized missile includes updated guidance electronics and added capability to defeat area targets without leaving behind unexploded ordnance. This first Camden-produced missile will be flight-tested later this year at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

The TACMS (formerly ATACMS) modernization process disassembles and demilitarizes previous-generation submunition warheads, which do not comply with the 2018 international treaty, replacing them with new unitary warheads. The modernization process also resets the missile's 20+ year shelf life, effectively creating a new missile for a fraction of a new missile's cost.

"These new modifications enhance TACMS' capability and significantly extend its useful life," said Ken Musculus, vice president of Tactical Missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "These upgrades ensure TACMS is ready to meet our customers' needs now and into the future."

Additionally, the TACMS platform provides flexibility to quickly integrate novel payloads and new capabilities as required by the warfighter.

With decades of unsurpassed performance and production excellence, TACMS is the only long-range tactical surface-to-surface missile ever employed by the U.S. Army in combat. TACMS missiles can be fired from the entire family of MLRS launchers, including the lightweight High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

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About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 98,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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SOURCE Lockheed Martin