F-35 Era begins at Eglin Air Force Base August 26, 2011 - In the 58th Fighter Squadron Hangar at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., members of the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy came together with Lockheed Martin, industry and local community leaders to celebrate the F-35 conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, today. (left to right) Gen. Edward Rice, Jr., Commander of Air Education and Training Command; Florida State Senator Don Gaetz; Larry Lawson, Lockheed Martin F-35 Executive Vice President and General Manager; and Col. Andrew Toth, U.S. Air Force Commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing. Courtesy of Lockheed Martin

Orlando, Fla, USA - August 26, 2011

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Munitions Directorate and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) have signed a five-year cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) to assess the viability of its cooled tri-mode seeker for integration onto Air Force weapon platforms.

F-35A Rollout Ceremony at Eglin AFB F-35 EVP & GM Larry Lawson addresses a crowd of more than 500 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for an F-35A rollout ceremony on August 26, 2011. Courtesy of Lockheed Martin

“We will work closely with Lockheed Martin to leverage their mature seeker technology with some of our novel in-house targeting concepts. Our scientists are excited to begin incorporating these proven tri-mode seekers into data collects, algorithm developments and subsystem evaluations,” said Buddy Goldsmith, chief of the U.S. Air Force’s Weapon Seeker Sciences Branch and Seeker Phenomenology Evaluation and Research (SPEAR) facility.

F-35C Catapult Launch Testing F-35C carrier variant continues catapult launch testing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., with test aircraft CF-3 on August 19, 2011. Courtesy of Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin and AFRL will work together over the next five years to thoroughly assess tri-mode weapon capabilities, emerging targeting concepts and guidance techniques.

Data and analysis from this effort will enable AFRL to develop a baseline for integrating seekers onto future U.S. Air Force weapon platforms intended to engage stationary and mobile targets in day, night and adverse weather conditions.

F-35C Catapult Launch Testing F-35C carrier variant continues catapult launch testing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., with test aircraft CF-3 on August 19, 2011. Courtesy of Lockheed Martin

“We are pleased the U.S. Air Force is interested in further evaluating our tri-mode seeker and pushing it to its operational limits,” said Frank St. John, vice president of tactical missiles in Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control business.
“We have continued developing and testing our seeker hardware and software for other customers and applications since the end of the Small Diameter Bomb II competition, and we look forward to demonstrating our mature seeker still offers superior effectiveness at the best value.”

F-35C Catapult Launch Testing F-35C carrier variant continues catapult launch testing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., with test aircraft CF-3 on August 19, 2011. Courtesy of Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin’s cooled tri-mode seeker is based on three combat-proven weapon systems: Javelin, LONGBOW and HELLFIRE.

The first-generation tri-mode seeker was developed in 2001 for the Common Missile program; later generations were developed for the Small Diameter Bomb II and other weapon systems.

The seeker, now in its fourth generation, has undergone thousands of hours of laboratory, tower and captive-carry tests and has been proven in dirty battlefield testing and in guided flight.

The tri-mode seeker combines a semi-active laser sensor, an imaging infrared (I2R) sensor and a millimeter wave radar into a single seeker with a common aperture.

F-35 in STOVL mode F-35B test aircraft BF-1 on flight 147, Aug. 22, 2011. Lt. Col. Fred Schenk pilots the aircraft in short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) mode. Courtesy of Lockheed Martin

The cooled I2R sensor provides passive detection and lock-on-before-launch from substantial standoff ranges, significantly increasing warfighter survivability.

All three sensor modes run simultaneously and share information in flight, allowing warfighters to defeat moving and stationary targets on land, at sea, in adverse weather and in an obscured/countermeasure environment, with true fire-and-forget capability.

Lockheed Martin’s tri-mode seeker recently defeated a variety of countermeasures and obscurants in a series of challenging and realistic battlefield environments.

Test results demonstrated all three sensor modes successfully communicated and worked collaboratively to effectively address and defeat each countermeasure and obscurant, targeting both moving and stationary targets.


About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

The Corporation’s 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.


Media Contact:

Melissa Hilliard
(407) 356-5351
email: melissa.hilliard@lmco.com  

For additional information, visit our website:

http://www.lockheedmartin.com  


Source: Lockheed Martin

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/  



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