Lockheed Martin wins $65-million laser-guided bomb contract

Archbald, PA, November 10, 2005--Lockheed Martin has been selected to develop, qualify and produce the Paveway II Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb (DMLGB), the next-generation precision-guided weapon system for the U.S. Navy. The contract calls for a 2006 procurement worth $65 million and a five-year procurement with a potential value of $266 million.

The program will upgrade the Navy's inventory of legacy Paveway II kits by replacing an existing Computer Control Group (CCG) system with an Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System (INS/GPS), an all-weather guidance system that provides dual-mode guidance capability.

"We are pleased to continue this relationship with Lockheed Martin by having the opportunity to enhance our existing inventory with the Paveway II DMLGB kits. The DMLGB weapon provides increased flexibility to warfighters by combining the proven technology of laser terminal guidance with all-weather fire-and-forget capabilities. By upgrading the current Paveway II weapon, the reduced timeline for development and qualification of the weapon will allow us to answer the urgent and compelling needs of the warfighter," said U.S. Navy Capt. Dave Dunaway, program manager, PMA-201.

The DMLGB minimizes collateral damage and improves mission effectiveness by providing precision strike capabilities in all weather at extended standoff ranges. The DMLGB is a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS)-based retrofit solution to the Navy's current Paveway II LGB inventory, easily converting the legacy LGBs to the dual mode configuration using common components.

The DMLGB will be manufactured at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Archbald, where the LGB kits, LGTR, specialized instrumentation and control systems, and manufacturing services -- such as state-of-the-art metal crafting and electro-mechanical assemblies -- are produced for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy.