SALINA — The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) a $57 million production contract to upgrade the fleet’s electronic-warfare defenses against anti-ship missile threats.
Lockheed staff will perform work on this contract at its facility on Electronics Parkway in Salina, according to a company news release. The plant, which employs about 1,900 people total, houses a new electronic-warfare system test facility.
Under this production contract, Lockheed Martin will upgrade the AN/SLQ-32(V)2 system — found on all U.S. aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and other warships with key capabilities to determine if the electronic sensors of potential foes are stalking the ship — for Block 2 of the Navy’s Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP).
(Sponsored)

ESOP Benefits for Architecture and Engineering Firms
Planning an exit strategy from your successful architecture or engineering firm can be difficult at times. While there are many options to choose from, one that many companies fail to

Working Another Job While on FMLA Leave is Not Necessarily Misconduct
Imagine this. You have an employee who is on leave pursuant to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and you discover that the employee is working for another employer.
“The SEWIP Block 2 upgrade will ensure the AN/SLQ-32 system continues to outpace the threat and establishes a framework to easily install future upgrades,” Joe Ottaviano, SEWIP program director for Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training, said in the release. “By using commercial-off-the-shelf components, we provide additional cost savings and ease of maintenance for sailors.”
Block 2 is the latest in a succession of improvement “blocks” the Navy says it’s pursuing for its shipboard electronic-warfare system. This will incrementally add new defensive technologies and functional capabilities, according to the Lockheed release.
In 2009, the Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to develop SEWIP Block 2. In January 2012, the company teamed with Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN), the original developer of the AN/SLQ-32, to pursue the Navy’s competitive SEWIP Block 3 program. A formal Navy request for Block 3 proposals is expected later this year, Lockheed said.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide.
Lockheed Martin’s net sales for 2012 totaled $47.2 billion, up from $46.5 billion in 2011, according to its annual report.
Contact The Business Journal at news@cnybj.com


