Lockheed Martin received a $131 M funding increment to continue its leadership of the Battle Management/Command and Control/Communication (BM/C2/C) program for the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Missile Defense National Team.
The contract runs through December of 2003 and funds the team's efforts to devise and field an operational structure that seamlessly and effectively links the numerous sensors, weapons and command and control systems currently utilized in the individual US missile defense programs or elements. Other BM/C2/C team members include TRW, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and Raytheon. In addition to leading the National Team's BM/C2/C program, Lockheed Martin serves as a member of the Systems Engineering and Integration team.
Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish created the Missile Defense National team in January 2002 to bring together the best engineers and scientists in America. The team is focused on enabling the US military services to field missile defense elements of the overall Ballistic Missile Defense System as soon as practical; developing and testing technologies; and improving the effectiveness of deployed capabilities by inserting new technologies as they become available. "This is a bold, new approach to missile defense. Lockheed Martin is committed to delivering MDA's vision of an effective, integrated, layered missile defense, capable of defeating all ranges of threat," Kier said.
Since receiving its initial contract and funding of $23 M in February 2002, the BM/C2/C team has built a staff of approximately 130 individuals, drawn from the six member companies, and has identified capabilities to be developed and deployed for an initial block deployment in 2004. "We are fortunate to have assembled the best and brightest minds from American industry to work as members of a team on this vitally important national project," Kier said.