Project Helix Will Upgrade Aircraft's Reconnaissance Capabilities
FARNBOROUGH, England, July 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lockheed Martin
(NYSE: LMT) today announced that IBM UK Limited has joined its team
competing for Project Helix, a reconnaissance upgrade to the Royal Air
Force's fleet of Nimrod R Mk1 aircraft. IBM will bring their real-time
middleware services, content and knowledge management to assist the
Lockheed Martin-led team in developing UK- specific elements for the Helix
system architecture. This multi-year acquisition programme is worth up to
400M pounds Sterling (approximately $700M) to the winning contractor.
"We are delighted to add IBM UK to our team," said John Mengucci, vice
president and general manager of Department of Defence Systems for Lockheed
Martin Integrated Systems & Solutions. "IBM UK will assist us in ensuring
the system remains technically agile and robust over decades of service."
Ian Stopps, chief executive, Lockheed Martin UK, agreed, stating that
"Lockheed Martin's competitive trade space is focused on a high tech, low
risk, net-enabled solution. IBM, with their reputation for innovation,
provides a highly complementary capability to our Helix team."
Alan Hammill, Defence Director, IBM UK, stated, "IBM is delighted to
build on our close working relationship with Lockheed Martin, providing
insight and experience for the development of high performance computing
infrastructures, capable of supporting the range of open, commercial
standards-based technologies that the Ministry of Defense (MoD) will need
to exploit throughout the lifetime of the Helix capability."
The Nimrod R Mk1 is the UK's electronic reconnaissance aircraft that
examines radio and radar emissions and provides electronic combat support
to the military commander. Originally designed as a maritime patrol and
anti- submarine aircraft, a number of Nimrod aircraft were adapted for this
secondary role, where the original maritime equipment was removed and
replaced with a highly sophisticated suite of systems used for electronic
reconnaissance to provide combat support to the military commander.
As lead systems integrator, Lockheed Martin's Integrated Systems &
Solutions leads one of two teams selected by the MoD for Project Helix's
"programme-definition" phase. One team will be selected for a
"risk-reduction" phase in late 2006. This will be followed by a system
demonstration and ultimately a production contract for the electronic
reconnaissance equipment starting in 2007.
With over 80 years of leadership in helping governments and businesses
innovate, IBM is the world's largest information technology and services
company. In the UK, it is one of the principal suppliers to the MoD of
business solutions, comprising: consulting; systems integration; systems
management; technical support; software; and hardware. IBM's strategy is to
be the government's trusted business partner, delivering major IT-enabled
business change that improves efficiency and enhances front-line services.
Lockheed Martin UK, a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, is a leader
in systems integration working on major programmes spanning the aerospace,
defence and civil sectors. Lockheed Martin works with more than 100
business partners and employs over 1500 people at 15 sites across the UK
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 135,000
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 2005
sales of $37.2 billion.
For additional information on the Lockheed Martin Corporation, visit our
Web sites:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com
http://www.lockheedmartin.co.uk
SOURCE Lockheed Martin
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Related links:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com
http://www.lockheedmartin.co.uk
CONTACT:
US: Suzanne Smith, +1-303-971-2322,
suzanne.m.smith@lmco.com, Farnborough: Judy Gan, +1-301-529-9861,
or UK: John Fyall, +02392 443 342, john.fyall@lmco.com, all of
Lockheed Martin
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