GeoEye Selects Lockheed Martin to Build Next-Generation Commercial Remote Sensing Satellite System

March 11, 2010 by Jeffrey Bradford · Comment
Filed under: Lockheed Martin, Syndicated Industry News, space 
GeoEye Selects Lockheed Martin to Build Next-Generation Commercial Remote Sensing Satellite System
March 11, 2010 1:59:00 PM

SUNNYVALE, Calif., -- Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a core business area of the Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT), announced today that it has been selected by GeoEye, Inc. (Nasdaq: GEOY) to build the company's next-generation, high-resolution Earth imaging satellite system known as GeoEye-2. Financial terms are not being disclosed at this time.

Lockheed Martin has begun start-up activities and procurement of long-lead components to support the earliest possible launch date for GeoEye-2. This effort will lead to a contract award for the design, engineering and manufacturing of the satellite and the associated command and control system.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems, a world leader in the most advanced space-based systems for government and commercial customers, designed and built the world's first commercial, high-resolution, Earth-imaging satellite, IKONOS, which has been providing 0.82-meter ground resolution imagery to GeoEye's customers around the globe for more than a decade.

These map-accurate images are used for applications in national security, environmental monitoring, state and local government, disaster assessment and relief, land management and for many other geospatial applications.

"GeoEye and Lockheed Martin have had a long and productive partnership since building and launching the first commercial remote sensing satellite," said Joanne Maguire, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Space Systems. "Our GeoEye-2 solution will leverage our strong government and commercial satellite system expertise and focus on operational excellence and mission success to provide GeoEye with another world-class, high-performance spacecraft for its customers."

Matthew O'Connell, GeoEye's chief executive officer and president, said, "We look forward to working with Lockheed Martin again and eagerly anticipate the construction and successful launch of another cutting-edge satellite which will provide proven reliability and greatly enhanced imaging capabilities for our customers."

Lockheed Martin's GeoEye-2 solution will build on the company's deep heritage and ability to execute within cost and schedule in this mission area and offer increased agility, resolution and flexibility over IKONOS and GeoEye-1. This will enable the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to provide critical geospatial situational awareness and global security information to intelligence analysts, war fighters and decision makers. Commercial users will also benefit from access to GeoEye-2's map-accurate color imagery. The spacecraft will feature a high-resolution ITT camera that has been in development for more than two years.

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Royal Navy’s new mine hunter enters service

February 23, 2010 by Jeffrey Bradford · Comment
Filed under: Syndicated Industry News 
Royal Navy's new mine hunter enters service
February 23, 2010

To tackle the abundant and significant threat of sea mines, the Royal Navy's new unmanned, underwater 'robots' have entered service following successful trials at the end of last year.

Modern mines are capable of being triggered by just the sound of a ship passing above so equipment for detecting them needs to be state-of-the-art.

The Mine Countermeasures Reconnaissance Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (known as 'Recce') can hunt sea mines remotely down to 200 metres and is now fully integrated into service, having been handed over to the Royal Navy's Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Unit.

The new, fully autonomous Recce system can scan the sea bed for mines for over 20 hours at a time, using an advanced system of sensors to pin-point their exact location.

This data is fed back to the onboard operators for analysis, considerably reducing the risk to naval divers who traditionally carried out these operations.

High resolution imagery also gives operators a sharper, clearer picture of the sea bed, enhancing their ability to identify the mines.

The system is a step-change for the mine hunting capability of the Navy's Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Vessels, but its adaptability allows it to be deployed from any ship or even a jetty with a suitable davit.

Defence Equipment and Support's Underwater Systems Programme Manager, Phil Jenkin, said:

"The system builds on the success of the REMUS technology of smaller, shallow water vehicles, which the Navy has used over the last few years.

"The new vehicle is not intended to replace the existing systems but extend the Navy's remote mine hunting capability, boasting improved sonar technology, allowing it to cover larger areas of water and to dive deeper."

As well as hunting mines, the system is capable of conducting remote assessment of the marine environment such as mapping the ocean floor and measuring ocean currents.

While finely tuned to the Royal Navy's requirements, Recce was a low risk procurement, as Lieutenant Commander Paul Guiver, of the Underwater Warfare Systems Capability Development Group, explained:

"It is a fine example of using low technological risk, commercial off-the-shelf equipment and will provide the operational experience to the user that will help to de-risk future MCM capability programmes.

"REMUS technology is already used by a dozen navies worldwide, however the Royal Navy was the first to formally accept unmanned, underwater vehicle systems into service.

"The delivery of Recce and initial operating capability could not have been achieved without the considerable efforts of Hydroid Inc working closely with the Underwater Systems team. This marks a very important milestone in the development of our MCM and remote environmental assessment capability."

The Royal Navy has welcomed the new capability; Lieutenant Commander Kev Giles, the Navy's Fleet Mine Warfare Capability Manager, said:

"It is a leap forward from the smaller vehicles it already operates which have a shorter range, fewer sensors, and dive to a maximum 100-metre depth. This is why the Royal Navy is very enthusiastic about this. It gives us a look into the future."

Two systems, each consisting of two 3.9-metre long, torpedo-shaped vehicles, were bought by Defence Equipment and Support in a £5m contract placed with Hydroid Inc in 2007.

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Lockheed Martin Delivers First Production F-35 Electro-Optical Targeting System — Press Release

December 1, 2009 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Business Line, Companies, Events, Lockheed Martin, Military Aviation, Press Releases, development program, production program 

Lockheed Martin Delivers First Production F-35 Electro-Optical Targeting System

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) has marked successful entry into low rate initial production on the F-35 Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS). The first production units have been delivered to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, TX, for integration onto the aircraft.

Embedded into the F-35’s fuselage with an innovative faceted sapphire window, the low-drag, stealthy EOTS is the world’s first and only sensor combining forward-looking infrared and infrared search and track functionality. The F-35 EOTS will provide Lightning II pilots with significant air-to-air and air-to-ground situational awareness in a single compact and completely passive sensor.

“Our team looks forward to meeting its commitment to provide a superior targeting system to F-35 pilots around the world as we gear up to produce more than 3,000 units,” said Rich Hinkle, program director of F-35 Lightning II EOTS at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This delivery marks a pivotal achievement for the EOTS as we transition from a system design and development program to a production program.”

The F-35 EOTS production is ramping up to produce up to 200 units a year. “The outlook for the F-35 program is very strong,” Hinkle said. “Our success in supporting the program is vital to the F-35’s mission to provide dominant airpower across the full air-to-air, air-to-ground mission spectrum.”

The latest generation infrared sensor technology, the F-35 EOTS builds upon the success of Lockheed Martin’s Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod to provide high-resolution imagery, automatic target tracking, infrared-search-and-track, laser designation and range finding, as well as laser spot tracking–all at greatly increased standoff ranges. Modular components allow the F-35 EOTS to be maintained on the flight line for true two-level maintenance.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

For additional information, visit our website:

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/

Source: Lockheed Martin

CONTACT: Heather Kelly of Lockheed Martin, +1-407-356-5351,
heather.kelly@lmco.com

Web Site: http://www.lmco.com/

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Insitu Announces Availability of NanoSAR ─ Synthetic-Aperture Radar Payload

March 21, 2010 by Business Wire Defense: Contracts News · Comment
Filed under: Syndicated Industry News 
BINGEN, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Insitu Inc. announced today the availability of NanoSAR, a tactical-level, synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) payload, for its ScanEagle dual bay and Integrator unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The NanoSAR payload module provides high-resolution imagery that can penetrate adverse weather conditions, battlefield obscurants, camouflage and light foliage, allowing radar-enabled area searches over land and sea. “Warfighters now have an enhanced capability to identif

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