NEW YORK, April 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO Marillyn Hewson accepted the 2018 Edison Achievement Award at the annual Edison Awards gala last night. The Edison Awards Steering Committee selected her for making a significant and lasting contribution to the world of innovation through her career, her leadership and her achievements.

"I'm humbled and I'm honored to accept this award on behalf of the 100,000 women and men of Lockheed Martin," said Hewson. "They are the ones who have made—and will always make— our company a leader in innovation on land, at sea, in the air, in space, and in the cyber realm."

Lockheed Martin also won three Edison "Best New Product" awards at the event:

• Gold for its Sikorsky MATRIX™ Technology that enables military and commercial helicopters to safely, reliably and affordably operate autonomously.
• Silver for its Geostationary Lightning Mapper, which is the first instrument to continuously monitor lightning from space, adding precious minutes to notification times that can help save lives in the path of severe storms and tornados.
• Gold for its Spectrally Beam Combined Fiber Lasers, which combines multiple fiber-laser modules to form a single, powerful, high-quality beam that more efficiently targets security threats than existing technologies.

Read Hewson's full remarks from the awards event here.

Established in 1987, the Edison Awards have recognized and honored some of the most innovative new products, services and business leaders in America. The Awards are named after Thomas Alva Edison and symbolize the persistence and excellence that he personified.

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

SOURCE Lockheed Martin