Lockheed Martin 2011 Annual Report Download - page 5

III 2011 Annual Report
Landing (STOVL) variant on January 20, 2012.
Saying the F-35 “remains essential’’ for future
air superiority, the Secretary’s action refl ects
the talent and tenacity of the men and women
working to make this program a success.
We exceeded F-35 fl ight test and test point
goals in 2011 with 972 test fl ights against a plan
of 872, and we tallied 7,823 test points against
a plan of 6,622. We also completed the Static
Structural Testing, which verifi ed the structural
integrity of the airframe, ahead of schedule. On
October 3, we saw the picture-perfect vertical
landing of the STOVL variant on the deck of
the USS WASP, a signifi cant milestone for
the F-35 program. A second test jet landed on
deck a few days later, and over 18 days the two
aircraft completed 72 short takeoffs and vertical
landings. We invite you to view the video of
these historic fl ights and other F-35 milestones
at our website, www.F35.com.
In December, Japan’s Ministry of Defense chose
the F-35 as that nation’s next generation fi ghter
aircraft. Japan joins Israel as a Foreign Military
Sales customer, and the United States and eight
partner countries on this 11-nation program.
Overall, we continued to grow our international
sales in 2011 with orders to upgrade armored
fi ghting vehicles for the United Kingdom,
contracts for a combined 30 F-16 aircraft to
Iraq and Oman, and the fi rst international order
to produce the Terminal High Altitude Area
Defense (THAAD) missile defense system for
export to the United Arab Emirates.
In 2011, we also witnessed the last Space
Shuttle mission. For 30 years – in partnership
with NASA – Lockheed Martin demonstrated
a dedication to excellence on the Shuttle
program, supplying components, payloads, and
every one of the external fuel tanks that boosted
the spacecraft into orbit. The next adventure in
space exploration has already begun, and we
are once again at the forefront with our Orion
Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle.
Some of our other notable achievements in
2011 on behalf of our customers in defense and
civil government agencies in the United States
and worldwide include:
• The Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Army
achieved the fi rst-ever simultaneous intercept
of two targets using two THAAD interceptors
in an operational test. Since 2005, the
program has completed 12 fl ight tests with
nine-for-nine intercepts. This capability
is critical to a robust missile deterrent and
defense.
• We began construction on our third Littoral
Combat Ship (LCS). With each ship, the
team continues to drive costs down through
effi ciencies, design stability, and supplier
partnerships. In addition, our second LCS,
the Fort Worth, is on-cost and on-schedule for
delivery to the U.S. Navy in 2012. Aside from
its success in drug smuggling interdiction,
the LCS will play an important role in the
Asia-Pacifi c region as part of the Defense
Department’s new Strategic Guidance.
• We achieved Initial Operating Capability
for the FBI’s Next Generation Identifi cation
System, which will help law enforcement
take more criminals off the streets.
• K-MAX, our rugged and versatile unmanned
cargo aircraft system, was deployed to
Afghanistan. During the fi rst six weeks of
operation, the two aircraft delivered more
than 100,000 pounds of cargo to forward
operating bases. Lockheed Martin and partner
Kaman Aerospace transformed this helicopter
into an unmanned system that can fl y through
hostile territory for the battlefi eld resupply
mission.
• We are in production on 29 additional
Persistent Threat Detection Systems (PTDS)
for the U.S. Army to support and protect
coalition forces in Afghanistan.