U.S. Air Force Awards Lockheed Martin Initial Contract For Next Set Of Missile Warning Satellites
Date: 25-Oct-2012 11:35 AM
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 25, 2012 - The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) an $82 million contract to begin initial work on the fifth and sixth geosynchronous (GEO) satellites in the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) missile warning constellation.
Featuring a mix of GEO satellites, hosted payloads in highly elliptical earth (HEO) orbit, and associated ground hardware and software, the SBIRS program delivers resilient and improved missile warning capabilities for the nation while simultaneously providing significant contributions to the military's missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness mission areas.
The acquisition of GEO-5 and 6 will come in three phases. Under this first phase, Lockheed Martin will complete non-recurring engineering activities for GEO-5 and 6 and procure select long lead spacecraft parts enabling supplier production lines to deliver the lowest possible price for each component. The two subsequent acquisition phases will fund procurement of the remaining long lead parts, as well as satellite production under a fixed-price contract structure.
"This initial contract will sustain a steady production rate and by the Air Force acquiring satellites in bulk, rather than one at a time, we can significantly reduce costs by achieving economies of scale," said Jeff Smith, vice president of Lockheed Martin's Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) mission area. "We understand both the importance of the SBIRS mission and the weight of the current fiscal environment - and we are committed to delivering mission success affordably and efficiently for the Air Force."
Lockheed Martin's previous SBIRS contracts have included four HEO payloads, four GEO satellites, and ground assets to receive, process, and disseminate the infrared mission data. Under the new contract, the team will begin work on the fifth and sixth GEO satellites.
Two HEO payloads and the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) satellite have already been launched. GEO-2 is scheduled for launch in March of 2013.
The SBIRS team is led by the Infrared Space Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Lockheed Martin is the SBIRS prime contractor, Northrop Grumman is the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system.
U.S. Air Force Awards Lockheed Martin Contract For Next Two SBIRS Missile Defense Early Warning Satellites
June 24, 2014
SUNNYVALE, Calif. , June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a $1.86 billion fixed-price contract to complete the production of the fifth and sixth Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, known as GEO-5 and GEO-6, for the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS). SBIRS provides our nation continuous early warning of ballistic missile launches and other tactical intelligence.
The Air Force awarded initial funding for the two satellites in a 2012 contract to complete non-recurring engineering activities and to procure select long lead parts. In 2013, the service awarded the advance procurement contract to secure additional long lead parts.
"SBIRS provides capabilities critical to our nation's defense but we also understand in today's environment that we need to find that perfect balance between capability and affordability," said Jeffrey Smith , vice president of Lockheed Martin's Overhead Persistent Infrared mission area. "This contract is the third part of a thoughtful acquisition strategy aimed at further reducing cost and cycle time for GEO-5 and GEO-6, while still providing exceptional data to the warfighter."
The SBIRS architecture includes a resilient mix of satellites in GEO, hosted payloads in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), and ground hardware and software. The GEO-1 and GEO-2 satellites both received Air Force Space Command Operational Acceptance in 2013, and have performance that matches, and in some cases exceeds, requirements. On schedule for delivery at the end of 2014, GEO-3 currently is undergoing acoustic and thermal vacuum testing at Lockheed Martin's Sunnyvale, California satellite manufacturing facility. GEO-4 recently entered final assembly, integration and test.
The SBIRS program delivers timely, reliable and accurate missile warning and infrared surveillance information to the President of the United States , the Secretary of Defense, combatant commanders, the intelligence community and other key decision makers. The system enhances global missile launch detection capability, supports the nation's ballistic missile defense system, expands the country's technical intelligence gathering capacity and bolsters situational awareness for warfighters on the battlefield.
The SBIRS team is led by the Infrared Space Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Lockheed Martin is the SBIRS prime contractor, Northrop Grumman is the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system.
While I realize this must go somewhere and is important, why the ULA threads?