FARNBOROUGH, England, July 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., of Israel, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to evaluate potential markets and customer requirements for Rafael's Smart, Precise Impact and Cost-Effective (SPICE™) missile guidance kits.

"SPICE is a leading air-to-surface weapon system offering U.S. and international air forces operating Lockheed Martin's platforms, as well as strategic bomber aircraft, an important complement to their existing operational capabilities," Yuval Miller, Executive Vice President, Head of Rafael's Air & C⁴ISR Division. "SPICE's unique features greatly enhance the U.S.' ability to operate in contested environments. We are excited to engage in cooperation with Lockheed Martin to make SPICE available as a U.S.-made system, adapted to fully meet U.S. standards."

SPICE is a family of stand-off, autonomous, air-to-surface weapon systems, capable of destroying targets with pinpoint accuracy and at high attack volumes in a GPS-denied environment. Combat-proven and in service with the Israeli Air Force and several international customers, SPICE employs a state-of-the-art electro-optical seeker with unique scene-matching algorithms, navigation guidance and homing techniques to achieve operational missions in adverse weather without GPS. The MOU covers the SPICE 1000 (453 kilogram / 1,000 pound weight class) and SPICE 2000 (907 kilogram / 2,000 pound weight class) precision guided missile kit variants.

"Lockheed Martin has a long history of successfully providing customers with missiles and missile systems that are affordable, proven and in production," said Dan Norton, vice president of Strategy and Business Development at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "This partnership will allow us to share our precision guided system and aircraft integration expertise with allies that can benefit from the mission flexibility that the SPICE 1000 and SPICE 2000 offer."

About Rafael
With a legacy of 70 years, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. designs, develops, manufactures and supplies a wide range of state-of-the-art defense systems for air, land, sea and space applications for the Israeli Defense Forces and its defense establishments, as well as for international customers. Rafael is the largest employer in Northern Israel with approximately 7,500 employees and numerous subcontractors and service suppliers.

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. This year the company received three Edison Awards for ground-breaking innovations in autonomy, satellite technology and directed energy.

SOURCE Lockheed Martin