Aegis Combat Systems Installed on Two New U.S. Navy Destroyers

News provided by

Apr 20, 2011, 01:43 ET

MOORESTOWN, N.J., April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy, supported by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), has installed the Aegis Combat System aboard two new Navy destroyers, USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109).

The Aegis Combat Systems aboard the ships have also been certified as fully operational through the tests known as Combat Systems Ship Qualification Trials.

During the trials, the ships' Aegis Combat Systems were evaluated for combat-readiness through comprehensive surface, subsurface and anti-air warfare exercises. These included manned raids and electronic attack scenarios, as well as thorough testing of the systems' tactical data link and air defense capabilities.

"The Aegis systems installed on these two ships represent continued improvements to what is a very agile and capable Aegis system," said Carmen Valentino, Lockheed Martin's vice president of Future Surface Combat systems. "Our Aegis team has successfully delivered 15 technological evolutions to the Navy, taking the Aegis combat system from an anti-ship missile system to the basis for the U.S. approach to global missile defense."

The Aegis Weapon System includes the SPY-1 radar, the Navy's most advanced radar system. When paired with the MK 41 Vertical Launching System, it is capable of delivering missiles for every mission and threat environment in naval warfare.

Including these two new Navy ships, the Aegis Weapon System is deployed on 95 ships around the globe. Aegis is the weapon system of choice for Australia, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea and Spain. Aegis-equipped ships combined have more than 1,200 years of at-sea operational experience and have launched more than 3,800 missiles in tests and actual operations.

The USS Gravely and USS Jason Dunham are both Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 132,000 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.