Lockheed Martin Delivers First JLTV Technology Development Vehicles for Testing Ahead of Schedule

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Apr 15, 2010, 05:50 ET

SEALY, Texas, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) today delivered the first two of seven operational Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV), and one companion trailer, to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps for Technology Development (TD) phase testing.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100415/DA87685)

The vehicles, two JLTV Category B Infantry Carriers, feature a curb weight of 15,500 pounds and were signed over to the Department of Defense, ahead of schedule, in an acceptance ceremony today.

Within days, Lockheed Martin plans to deliver two JLTV Category A General Purpose vehicles, each weighing in at less than 13,000 pounds (curb weight), one more Category B Infantry Carrier, one Category B Command and Control On-The-Move vehicle, one Category C Utility Carrier, and three more companion trailers. These vehicles are undergoing final acceptance preparation and will be delivered next week, also ahead of schedule.

The U.S. military services will conduct a 12-month test and evaluation effort at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD, and Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, AZ, as part of the 27-month JLTV TD phase.

"Today's ceremony commemorates our commitment to provide the Warfighter with the lowest-risk, most technically innovative, survivable and affordable vehicle possible," said Steve Ramsey, vice president of Ground Vehicles at Lockheed Martin. "We are delighted to deliver mature, tested and fully capable vehicles to the Government ahead of schedule."

Lt. Col. Wolfgang Petermann, the U.S. Army's product manager for JLTV, was on-site during the vehicle delivery, reiterating the importance of the TD phase. "The TD phase will demonstrate the integration of mature technologies as a complete system, providing the Services with an assessment of the technical and performance risks relevant to entering the Engineering Manufacturing Development (EMD) Phase, and it will establish an achievable set of requirements for the JLTV Program," he said.

Also present for the ceremony was a representative from the Australian Department of Defence. In January 2009 Australia entered into a Land Force Capability Modernization (LFCM) Project Arrangement (PA) for the TD phase of the JLTV program, enabling tactical vehicle interoperability and integration between U.S. future forces and Australian land forces.

Since October 2007, Lockheed Martin-Team JLTV has invested in and built five test vehicles: the original JLTV Category B variant, which is designed as an infantry carrier, was unveiled in October 2007; the Utility Vehicle Light Category C variant, which is designed with a focus on payload, was introduced in February 2008; the General Purpose Mobility Category A variant, which is designed for logistical support, was unveiled in October 2008; our second generation Infantry Carrier Category B variant; and the 'Command and Control on the Move' Category B variant, which made its public debut in February 2010.

"Our Lockheed Martin test vehicles have undergone extensive testing and have accumulated more than 70,000 combined test miles, more than half of which have been conducted off-road to simulate mission conditions. This prior experience with Lockheed Martin-owned vehicles helped ensure the vehicles we begin delivering under contract to the Government today are ready for rigorous Government testing," added Ramsey.

The Lockheed Martin-led JLTV Team includes:

BAE Systems, providing advanced armor solutions and production facilities for high volume assembly;
Alcoa Defense, supplying materials experience, design services and aluminum components that give the vehicle its structural strength at reduced weight; and
JWF – Defense Systems, offering state-of-the-art machining and cost-effective fabrication.
Lockheed Martin serves as the prime contractor and design agent, providing systems engineering, platform integration, design expertise, advanced systems, and program and supply chain management.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 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 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.