American company Lockheed Martin ("Lockheed Martin")

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Lockheed Martin Transnational Corporation is the world's leading developer and manufacturer of military aviation and space technology, ballistic missiles, fire control systems, and cybersecurity elements. The company also provides a wide range of management, engineering, technical, scientific and logistics services.

Description

Lockheed Martin Corporation was formed on March 15, 1995 by the merger of two technological leaders in the United States aerospace industry - Martin Marietta (specialized in the design of satellites and space rockets) and Lockheed Corporation (the main manufacturer of military aviation in the United States). The small town of Bethesda in the suburbs of Washington was chosen as the headquarters. Chief Executive Marilyn Hewson and Vice President Bruce Tanner are key to governance.

Corporation is engaged in research, design, development, production, integration and support of technological systems, products and services. The company operates in four main areas:aeronautics; space; rocket technology and fire control systems (FCS); electronics and information security.

Aeronautics

The American company is one of the leaders in the US aircraft industry, especially in the defense segment. Its specialists are engaged in research, development, production, integration, maintenance and modernization of military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and equipment.

Lockheed Martin's main projects in this sector:

• F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is an international fifth-generation multirole multi-role fighter.
• C-130 Hercules is a tactical military transport aircraft.
• F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole fighter.
• F-22 Raptor is a fifth generation fighter designed for air superiority.
• C-5M Super Galaxy is a high-capacity military transport aircraft.

In addition, Lockheed Martin is involved in the design and assembly of new generation UAV prototypes, as well as network-centric systems that allow the integration of various types of combat units under a single command (including geographically dispersed).

Missiles and FCS

This direction is carried out by the Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control (LM MFC) division, based in the suburbs of Dallas. LM MFC with around 10,000 employees,designs:

• air defense systems, missile defense systems;
• tactical air-to-ground missiles of the Hellfire and JASSM series;
• naval missiles;
• air-to-air missiles;
• lightweight MLRS HIMARS;
• Javelin ATGM;
• laser weapons;
• stels technologies for the Navy and Air Force;
• launchers;
• manned and unmanned ground vehicles;
• sensors and fire control systems;
• Apache, Sniper and LANTIRN navigation and sighting systems;
• fire fighting equipment.

Priority projects

One of the most profitable is the TADS/PNVS (Targeted Aiming System, Night Vision System) program for the AH-64 Apache helicopter. The second generation of the M-TADS sighting system (also known as Arrowhead) has already been designed and is being supplied to the US Army. The company has also become a major supplier of electro-optical systems for the F-35 Lightning II.

Also important to LM MFC are the PAC-3 (Production and Modernization of Patriot Anti-Missile Systems) and THAAD projects. The latter is a more modern and powerful high- altitude anti-missile mobile system capable of intercepting medium-range missiles, aircraft and satellites in near space.

The SOF CLSS program provides logistics support services to special operations units of the United States military. LM MFC's clients are the military, governmentinstitutions and commercial companies. The division won the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award in 2012.

Cosmonautics

The creation of aerospace technology is a priority for the corporation. The LM Space division is responsible for the development of spacecraft and software. It is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and has branches in Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz (both California), Huntsville (Alabama) and elsewhere in the US and UK.

The Lockheed Missile Systems Division was established in Van Nuys, California in late 1953 to consolidate work on the X-17, a solid-propellant, three-stage research rocket. The unit currently employs about 16,000 people, and its most significant products are commercial and military satellites, space probes, missile defense systems, the Orion multipurpose manned spacecraft and the Shuttle external tank (hull).

This segment is engaged in the research, development, design and manufacture of satellites, strategic and defense missile systems and space transportation systems. The unit is involved in the production of Trident II D5 Fleet intercontinental ballistic missiles based on US Navy nuclear submarines.

Other Space Systems programs include:

• Space Infrared Missile Launch Early Detection System (SBIRS);
• Advanced military satellite communication system with extremely high protection(AEHF);
• global positioning system (GPS III) and others.

LM Space also ensures that the command and intelligence agencies are aware of the situation in near-Earth space, collects and integrates intelligence data on the ground and airspace into a single information network, analyzes the data and ensures their safe transmission to interested departments.

Electronic, information and global systems

Rotary and Mission Systems (LM RMS) is a business segment of Lockheed Martin headquartered in Washington, DC. The RMS segment provides design, manufacturing, service and support:

• a range of military and commercial helicopters;
• combat systems for the fleet, aviation, air defense;
• radar systems;
• littoral (coastal) combat ships of the LCS series;
• unmanned systems and technologies;
• training simulators.

In addition, RMS serves the cybersecurity needs of government customers.

Lockheed Martin participates in programs to develop the CH-53K heavy helicopter for the United States Marine Corps, the VH-92A "transporter", the Aegis Combat System integrated missile defense systems, the LCS ships for operation in shallow water and in the open ocean, advanced radar system Hawkeye. Together with Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, the division produces Black Hawk and Seahawk helicopters.

True revolutionary looks ambitiousproject to create compact safe thermonuclear reactors. The company promises to present a finished commercial product in 7-10 years. If this happens (and many scientists doubt its success), dependence on hydrocarbons and nuclear power plants will be significantly reduced. Harmful emissions will decrease, the ecological situation on the planet will improve.