May 31, 2011 DEFENSE TALK

May 31, 2011 Oshkosh Defense

OSHKOSH, Wis. & LONDON, Ontario  — Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), will present a wide range of world-class vehicle platforms and capabilities at CANSEC 2011, hosted June 1-2 in Ottawa, Ontario.

As the only defense contractor actively manufacturing heavy, medium and light tactical vehicles for the U.S. military and international customers, Oshkosh Defense is applying its mission-proven expertise and capabilities to serve the Canadian Forces. Multiple Oshkosh vehicles have been qualified for the Canadian Department of National Defence’s (DND) Standard Military Portion (SMP) of the Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS) and the Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) programs.

“We’ve been working with the DND for many years now to fully understand the capabilities the soldiers and the Canadian government require from the MSVS and TAPV programs,” said Serge Buchakjian, Oshkosh Defense senior vice president and general manager of International Programs. “The Oshkosh platforms on display at CANSEC have proven performance in extreme environments, including Afghanistan. Our MSVS and TAPV prototypes, specifically designed to meet DND requirements, are in the product validation and testing phase of our rigorous product development process. In addition to the vehicles themselves, we’ve created life-cycle support solutions through close collaboration with General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada and Oshkosh Corporation’s London Machinery, Inc. (LMI) – all focused on long-term support and economic benefits for Canada.”

On Display at CANSEC

Oshkosh Defense will display two of its three vehicles down-selected for the MSVS program, the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) A4 and the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR). The third down-selected vehicle is the Oshkosh Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV), a proven, maneuverable platform that enhances unit mobility, safely transports troops and hauls equipment in support of a wide range of tactical operations.

More than 27,500 HEMTTs have been produced in multiple variants to fulfill a wide range of logistics operations for militaries across the globe. The latest generation of this 11.8 tonne-payload vehicle features an armored cab, which can be augmented with standardized, bolt-on kits allowing forces to more easily, quickly and cost-effectively increase protection based on mission requirements.

The MTVR was built to operate extensively in off-road missions and uses the Oshkosh TAK-4® independent suspension system to help achieve a 70 percent off-road profile capability. More than 10,000 MTVRs have been deployed with the U.S. Armed Forces.

Oshkosh also will have its MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle Multi Mission Vehicle (M-ATV MMV) and SandCat protected, multi-role vehicle on display. The M-ATV is currently providing much-needed levels of protection and mobility to allied forces in Afghanistan. The M-ATV MMV was configured for command and control, reconnaissance, and missile carrier operations, and has many commonalities with the TAPV prototype Oshkosh unveiled earlier this year. The SandCat was designed specifically for the international market for military and special operations, security duties, peacekeeping, border patrol, and law enforcement. Oshkosh has received orders for the SandCat from Canada as well as Mexico, Sweden, Bulgaria, Nigeria and Israel.

30 Jun 2011 By MICHAEL HOFFMAN and KATE BRANNEN DefenseNews

The Ground Combat Vehicle (gcv) program will receive another scrub by Defense Department officials in a Defense Acquisition Board Review scheduled for July 21.

Questions have arisen about the Army's need for the GCV in the next seven years as specified by service officials. A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the funds from the canceled Future Combat Systems (FCS) program "were driving the events and activities of the program, versus a true capabilities gap," GAO's director of acquisition and sourcing management, Michael Sullivan, testified before Congress.

The review comes after a major Army leadership shakeup, with Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the upcoming retirement of Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli; and resignation of acquisition chief Malcolm O'Neill. The moves leave some wondering if the GCV program will maintain support at the service's highest levels of leadership.

Chiarelli had listed GCV as the Army's second-highest acquisition priority behind the Army's network.

The Defense Acquisition Board includes the four service secretaries, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other undersecretaries of defense.

Last August, the Army rescinded its original request for proposals after an internal review was done by the program's requirements and acquisition strategy. The Army issued revised requests with fewer requirements in November.

The second request for proposals dropped the cost target from the $18 million to $24 million of the first proposal to $9 million to $10 million per vehicle, Sullivan told Congress in March. However, the $10 million price tag could leave the GCV vulnerable to future budget cuts and put it at risk of suffering the same fate as the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, according to analysis by the Congressional Research Service.

May 31, 2011 defpro.com

Ladson, South Carolina | Force Protection Industries, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of FORCE PROTECTION, INC., announced today the formation of Team Timberwolf on the eve of CANSEC, Canada’s foremost defence and security technology showcase. Team Timberwolf is comprised of Force Protection Survivability Solutions Canada, CAE, Elbit Systems and Lockheed Martin Canada to compete for the Canadian Forces Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) project.

Team Timberwolf will offer a complete vehicle system and comprehensive in-service support solution. The vehicle is based on the battle proven Cougar vehicle with independent suspension, integrated C4ISR and dual remote weapons systems. Team Timberwolf will debut at CANSEC 2011 to be held June 1-2 at the Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. Visitors can see video of Timberwolf in action at CAE’s booth (#3201) during the CANSEC exhibition, and also visit the Team Timberwolf outdoor display (#315).

Randy Hutcherson, Chief Operating Officer of Force Protection, said, “Team Timberwolf was formed to give Canadian Forces the best and most complete system offering available on the market today in terms of survivability, situational awareness, fighting capability and reparability. We are pleased that CAE, Elbit Systems and Lockheed Martin Canada are part of the team offering Canada the best solution for the TAPV project. The Industrial and Regional Benefits (IRB) developed through the growing Canadian team will be a direct benefit to Canadian companies in the regions responsible for delivering components for Team Timberwolf.”

Force Protection Industries, Inc. previously announced that it has been selected by the Canadian Government as one of the competitor companies qualified to provide up to 600 wheeled combat vehicles and related long term support services. The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) expects to award a contract to the final selected bidder by early 2012. Force Protection also previously announced that it has entered into teaming agreements with CAE, Elbit Systems and Lockheed Martin Canada for the TAPV project.

May 31, 2011 Aberdeen Proving Ground MD (SPX)

Raytheon has received a $20.7 million award to deliver more than 1,900 KIV-77 Mode 4 / 5 cryptographic units that provide secure communications for combat systems force identification.

"Raytheon's KIV-77 represents the next generation in secured combat identification for U.S. and coalition forces," said Brian McKeon, vice president, Raytheon Network Centric Systems' Integrated Communications Systems. "The ultimate goal of this enhanced technology is the prevention of fratricide.

"This significant award reflects confidence in Raytheon to produce this critical, leading technology so vital to protecting the warfighter in battle."

This U.S. Air Force award brings Raytheon's orders for the KIV-77 to more than 3,600 units, including the program's low rate initial production phase under which approximately 1,000 KIV-77 units were delivered ahead of contract schedule.

A premier cryptographic device for combat identification, Raytheon is under contract that allows for KIV-77 additional orders and deliveries into 2014, and the company expects this unit to be in continual production through 2020.

May 31, 2011 by Dennis Zaklan  Hatch NM (SPX)

From May 2-4, New Mexico State University's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Test Center supported AAI Corporation's Shadow 200 Tactical UAS in conducting flights over the skies of Hatch, N.M. These were four-dimensional flight tests in support of efforts by the Federal Aviation Administration Tech Center to further UAS flights in the National Airspace System.

NMSU's UAS FTC is the only FAA-approved FTC in the nation. The FAA and NMSU developed the center to provide a place for manufacturers, government agencies and other developers or operators to safely test fly, demonstrate and train their UAS.

During these flight tests, the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Program Office had several representatives on-site to observe and review the NMSU procedures and view the chase plane operations to assist them with moving forward on developing safe procedures that will enable UAS more access to the NAS in the future.

The chase plane provides the UAS pilot-in-command with eyes in the sky, enabling the UAS to see and avoid other aircraft during flight away from the launch/recover location.

Three specific types of flights were reflected. The first was the checkout flight for the system to ensure the entire system was functioning properly before any test flights could occur.

The second type was performing the link-up between the chase plane and the unmanned aircraft. The actual link-up went extremely well because of the outstanding procedures discussed by the UAS FTC operations staff and the AAI flight team.

All parties were amazed at how smoothly it went, which is a tribute to very well developed procedures and the aviation experience on both teams. The two teams meshed very well, and this enabled the 4DT test flights and demonstration to be performed safely within the NAS.

The 4DT test and demonstration flights are part of a step-by-step process to develop and validate that UAS' will be able to fly with manned aircraft in the future and have the ability to perform avoidance maneuvers for safety of flight.

These tests being performed by the AAI Shadow TUAV, with software developed by General Electric Company on board the UA and in the ground control station, proved that the UA could perform maneuvers when receiving input from another source.

The 4DT demonstration was conducted shortly after noon on May 4, with several of the flight cards that had been flown earlier as part of the testing. Representatives from the FAA Tech Center, the UAPO and Hatch Mayor Judd Nordyke viewed the demonstraton.

The test flights proved the viability of the UAS FTC with AAI Corporation, one of the largest UAS manufacturers in the U.S. Discussions are ongoing to further the relationship and perform additional UAS flights in the UAS FTC's 15,000 square miles of FAA-approved airspace.

30 May 2011 By DAVE MAJUMDAR DefenseNews

It has proved so difficult and expensive to upgrade the F-22 Raptor, whose stealthy body contains sensors and electronic brains, that the U.S. Air Force may take the unprecedented step of threading what amounts to a second central nervous system into a fighter jet.

By introducing an open architecture to one of the world's most tightly knit proprietary systems, service officials hope to make it much cheaper and easier to insert new technology - even gear developed for the F-35 Lightning II - into the stealthy air-superiority fighter.

"This jet has a very highly integrated avionics system. Because of that tight coupling and that highly integrated nature, it makes it very difficult, and we are highly reliant upon [Raptor makers] Lockheed Martin and Boeing to do any kinds of modifications to the jet," said David Weber, deputy director of the F-22 System Program Office (SPO) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Weber said the open-architecture effort is meant to allow the Air Force to open upgrade work to competition.

Today, he said, "the architecture is proprietary to Lockheed Martin, and we're kinda stuck with Lockheed Martin when we want to integrate something new."

Weber said the work is at such an early stage that the F-22 SPO has no guess how much it might cost.

This year, service officials plan to study the options, in part by issuing a request for information inviting contractors to suggest demonstration projects to help flesh out the alternatives.

"All of them have different ideas about how to go about doing this," Weber said.

In October through December, the service will award contracts to allow contractors to demonstrate ideas in a lab or flying testbed, said Col. John Williams, who runs the F-22 SPO's modernization office.

The SPO officials said Boeing and Lockheed would be welcome to bid on the demonstration contracts.

Lockheed, which had earlier proposed to essentially port the hardware and software architecture of the F-35 Lightning II into the Raptor, might respond to the Air Force solicitation with a similar proposal, said Jeff Babione, Lockheed's Raptor program manager. But Babione said the company might propose a different solution, depending on the service's requirements.

The Air Force will ultimately select one contractor to install the new architecture on its Raptors - ideally, said Weber, all 185 that will be built, less two losses.

"From our perspective, the fleet size is so small compared to where we wanted to be, our objective would be to make this applicable to all aircraft," he said.

The SPO deputy director said it may be deemed too costly to install the new architecture on the 34 oldest Raptors, which are currently used for training. Those planes are also not slated to get the Increment 3.2 upgrade, the next major group of hardware and software upgrades for the Raptor fleet.

But Weber noted that the new architecture might also make it cost-effective to bring those oldest Raptors up to the 3.2 standard.

If all goes well, development work could begin in earnest around 2014 as part of the development of Increment 3.2C, which is slated to begin installation in 2019 or 2020, he said.

Grafting On

As currently envisioned, the new network would be grafted onto the F-22's existing avionics, Weber said. The twin-engine jet's current network would continue to carry data between existing components, while upgraded ones would be linked by the new network. The data from both architectures would be translated and fused so that the jet continues to operate as a cohesive whole.

The installation of the new architecture might happen in one step, or it might proceed piece by piece, Williams said.

"Potentially, you could do it multiple times based on what you're trying to open up," he said. "You're opening up the [communication, navigation and identification]; maybe you're opening up the radar more, something like that. You may actually have multiple guys doing it, but it will be to a common standard."

As more systems are ported over to the new architecture, the older systems would wither away.

"Gradually, you'd have to start migrating some of the functions that we currently have in our core integrated processor away from the core integrated processor, so that everything doesn't flow through that piece," Williams said.

It may or may not be possible to migrate all of the Raptor's functionality.

"It depends on the degree we can open up the architecture," Weber said.

Lockheed's Babione said it might not be cost-effective to move everything to the new system.

The F-22 has received one upgrade - called Increment 2 - since it first arrived on Air Force flight lines in 2005. Those upgrades have added the capability to drop two 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions to the aircraft.

A planned upgrade, called Increment 3.1 and slated to begin this year, will add synthetic aperture radar mapping, the capability to carry eight Small Diameter Bombs, and other features.

In 2014, a software-only upgrade called Increment 3.2A will add electronic protection against jamming, better Link 16 receive capability and combat identification, and other improvements. In 2017, Increment 3.2B will add support for the plane's AIM-9X short-range and AIM-120D medium-range anti-air missiles, among many other upgrades.

In 2008, then-Pentagon acquisition chief John Young put the total cost of developing and installing Increment 3.1 and what became 3.2A and 3.2B at around $8 billion. The figure has likely gone up because the Air Force now plans to upgrade more F-22s.

Once the new architecture is installed, "if we want a new capability on the airplane, we can go out to industry with an RfI [request for information] and say, 'You all got good ideas; can you make it work with this architecture?'" Weber said.

The ultimate goal is to allow systems such as new radars to be "plug-and-play," as a printer might be to a desktop computer, he said.

This might allow the Raptor to use technology developed for the F-35 Lightning II without time-consuming and expensive integration work, Williams said. Ë

Membre de la Air Force Space Command Network Operations & Security Center

dans le Colorado, centre chargé de mettre en place des systèmes de sécurité

protégeant des cyber-attaques, le 5 octobre 2010 REUTERS/Rick Wilking

30/05/2011 20minutes.fr

TECHNOLOGIES - L'un des plus gros groupes de l'industrie de défense au monde, victime d'attaques, entend renforcer son système de protection...

Lockheed Martin, 126.000 employés, et principal fournisseur du Pentagone, a été victime d’une cyber-attaque la semaine dernière, « importante et persistante», dont l’ampleur est encore en cours d’évaluation.

Contrer les attaques

Les cyber-attaques, partout dans le monde, s’intensifient. «L’année écoulée a changé la donne dans la perception du cyberespace. Surtout, la découverte du virus Stuxnet a alerté le monde entier sur la façon dont les attaques virtuelles pouvaient causer des dommages considérables sur des systèmes industriels de pointe», expliquait le Guardian le mois dernier.

En France, l'Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d'information (Anssi) a justement été entendue par François Fillon la semaine dernière, deux mois et demi après le gigantesque piratage informatique qui a visé le ministère des Finances, début mars. En février dernier, le Canada avait vu ses serveurs attaqués. En Australie, le gouvernement vient de conseiller aux sociétés privées de mettre en place les mesures de sécurité nécessaires pour se prémunir de ces cyber-attaques.

De son côté, Lockheed Martin a expliqué dimanche qu’il avait intensifié ses enquêtes et renforcé les mesures de sécurité. Le gouvernement américain, concerné puisque client de la firme, a précisé que celle-ci, à l’instar d’autres fournisseurs de matériel militaire, étaient régulièrement confrontées à des attaques de cyber-criminels recherchant des données sur la sécurité nationale américaine.

Qui mène l’attaque?

Car ces attaques font partie de la guerre d’influence que mènent les différents Etats. L’attaque à l’encontre de Lockheed Martin «s’inscrit dans la lignée de tentatives répétées des ennemis des Etats-Unis, notamment la Chine et la Russie, d’infiltrer des réseaux d’information afin de glaner des détails sur leurs armes» analyse le Telegraph anglais.

En 2010, le Time anglais soulignait que des avertissements avaient été donnés, au sein de l’Otan et de l’Union Européenne, suggérant de se protéger des attaques venant de Chine. Une source de l’Otan avait ainsi confié: «Tout le monde est conscient que la Chine est devenue très active dans la cyber-guerre et on reçoit désormais des avertissements réguliers de la part des services de sécurité internes». En janvier 2010, Google avait d’ailleurs été victime d’une attaque informatique et avait accusé la Chine - qui avait nié. En février 2011, la société de sécurité informatique McAfee avait indiqué que la Chine avait lancé des attaques informatiques sur des groupes pétroliers.

Officiellement, Lockheed se refuse cette fois-ci à toute spéculation sur l’origine des attaques. Mais l’incident, jugulé très rapidement selon la société, souligne la vulnérabilité des sociétés, et des gouvernements.

source bruxelles2

May 30, 2011 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Reuters; published May 27, 2011)

WASHINGTON --- A high-level Pentagon review of the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter program has been postponed from this week until June 14, three sources familiar with the scheduled meeting said on Friday.

Defense Undersecretary Ashton Carter, the Pentagon's top weapons buyer, and other senior defense officials are due to establish a new procurement baseline at the meeting for the radar-evading F-35, or Joint Strike Fighter, which is currently estimated to cost $382 billion.

The new baseline -- against which any future cost growth will be measured -- will reflect a major restructuring of the program announced by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in February, the program's second major revamp in two years.

Pentagon spokeswoman Cheryl Irwin gave no specific date, but said the panel would now meet in mid- to late-June for a detailed review of the Pentagon's costliest weapons program.

The F-35 program came under fire for rising costs at a Senate hearing last week, but Lockheed Chief Executive Robert Stevens this week said he was confident the company could resolve development challenges facing the program. The F-35 is expected to account for more than 20 percent of Lockheed's global sales once it enters full production. (end of excerpt)


Click here for the full story, on the Reuters website.

May 30, 2011 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: U.S Department of Defense; issued May 27, 2011)

Global Fleet Sales, Inc., Southfield, Mich., was awarded on May 24 a $146,018,060 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of 1,788 Cargo Transport II trucks; 3,955 police trucks; and 55 mobile maintenance trucks.

Work will be performed in Chonburi, Thailand, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 31, 2012. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with three bids received.

The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-11-C-0338).

source robotspodcast.com

May 30, 2011 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; issued May 25, 2011)

Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) play a critical role in modern military operations. The next generation of these aerial robotic systems needs to have enhanced takeoff and landing capabilities, better endurance, require less support equipment and be adaptable to mission needs in varying conditions.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Atlantic (SSC Atlantic) call on innovators of every kind; scientists, engineers, citizen scientists and dreamers to collaborate on the UAVForge Challenge and win $100,000 USD.

The UAVForge challenge uses crowdsourcing to build small UAVs through an exchange of ideas and design practices. The goal is to build and test a user-intuitive, backpack-portable UAV that can quietly fly in and out of critical environments to conduct sustained surveillance for up to three hours.

According to Jim McCormick, DARPA program manager, “The UAVForge crowd-sourced approach seeks to capture and mature novel ideas and systems integration methods from communities outside the traditional DoD acquisition process.”

Self-selected teams will participate in a series of peer-reviewed milestones where participant rating will identify the top ten teams that advance to the UAVForge Fly-Off Competition. During the competition, vehicles will be tested in a simulated high-stress surveillance mission.

“This is a fascinating challenge and the solution space is wide open,” explained McCormick. “We’re excited to see what innovative ideas emerge, so we’re trying to give individuals and teams lots of time to develop their concepts prior to the initial design submission date planned for late this fall.”

The winning team will be awarded $100,000 and the opportunity to showcase its design in an overseas military exercise. Additionally, the winning team will work with a government-selected UAV manufacturer to produce a limited quantity of systems for future warfighter experimentation.

May 30, 2011 ASDNews Source : General Dynamics Corporation

Adelaide, AS, Australia - General Dynamics Land Systems-Australia (GDLS-A), a business unit of General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada in London, Ontario, received a five year, AU$44.8m Through Life Support contract today. The contract also includes a one year phase-in period.

The Through Life Support services will deliver enhanced fleet availability of the Army's ASLAV wheeled armoured fighting vehicles, M1A1 Abrams tanks, and M88A2 Heavy Recovery vehicles. Ongoing spare parts, repairs, maintenance and engineering tasks will be ordered as required through this integrated support contract. It also provides the opportunity for stronger relationships with the Commonwealth and local industry.

The contract will change the mechanisms and business processes between the Commonwealth and General Dynamics in Australia to improve efficiency, reduce costs and promote value. The contract also includes the implementation of a performance management framework for the services, which contributes toward the Commonwealth Strategic Reform Program (SRP). This provides the basis for awarding up to 15, one-year contract extensions based on performance. The low risk Through Life Support solution is founded on local and experienced capability; leveraging the full range of original equipment manufacturer engineering, technical support network and product service centres.

Gary Stewart, Managing Director of General Dynamics Land Systems - Australia, said the performance-based contract provides an adaptable framework to ensure sustainable, dependable and high quality service delivery.

"We have leveraged our extensive experience in implementing and executing performance-based support contracts for other customers, which has enabled us to incorporate attributes such as cost transparency, continuous improvement and application of lean initiatives," Stewart said. "Our service delivery model is flexible, enabling effective change and ongoing service delivery in response to the Commonwealth's constantly changing operational and support environments."

Stewart added that the contract enables the repair, maintenance and upgrade of combat vehicle fleets to remain a strategic industry capability within Australia.

"The long range focus of this program also presents the opportunity for Australian industry to participate in General Dynamics' global supply chain," Stewart said. "We look forward to engaging with Australian companies as part of our design, manufacturing and sustainment transfer initiatives for this contract and other programs."

May 29, 2011 by Sardar Ahmad ASDNews AFP

WASHINGTON - Lockheed Martin, one of the world's largest defense contractors, was on Sunday investigating the source of a major cyber-attack one week ago against its information network, the company said.

"Lockheed Martin detected a significant and tenacious attack on its information systems network," the company said in a statement late Saturday night.

The company said the cyber-assault took place on May 21, and that quick action by its security team successfully repelled the attack.

"No customer, program or employee personal data has been compromised," the company statement said, adding that federal authorities had been notified.

"Throughout the ongoing investigation, Lockheed Martin has continued to keep the appropriate US government agencies informed of our actions," the company said.

President Barack Obama has been briefed about the attack, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Sunday.

"It has been part of the briefing materials that he has," Carney said. "My understanding, based on what I've seen, is they feel it's fairly minimal in terms of the damage."

Lockheed Martin said its officials are working "around the clock to restore employee access to the network, while maintaining the highest level of security."

It did not mention the suspected source of the cyber-attack.

The company's information security team detected the attack almost immediately and took what is described as "aggressive actions" to protect all systems and data, the statement added.

The statement said that despite the attack, the company remains confident in the integrity of its "robust, multi-layered information systems security."

Federal officials, for their part, told US media that the consequences of the attack for the Pentagon and other agencies was "minimal," and no adverse effect on their operations was expected.

Headquartered in Bethesda, a Maryland suburb of Washington, Lockheed Martin employs about 126,000 people around the world. It focuses on design, development and manufacturing of advanced technology systems, including some of the military's most advanced weaponry.

Seventy-four percent of the company's 2009 revenue came from military sales, according to published reports.

Lockheed Martin's products included the Trident missile, P-3 Orion spy plane, F-16 and F-22 Raptor fighter jets and C-130 Hercules military cargo planes among many other major weapons systems.

The company is a primary developer of stealth technology used in U-2 and SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft, the F-117 fighter jet as well as the F-22 and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter designs.

The corporation's 2010 sales from continuing operations reached $45.8 billion (32 billion euros).

However, the stealth Joint Strike Fighter program has faced delays and cost overruns, and the Pentagon overhauled the program last year.

The initial estimate for each F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft was $50 million eight years ago, but more recent estimates were up to $92 million.

Meanwhile, the US space agency NASA announced last week that a new spacecraft to ferry humans into deep space would be based on designs for the Orion crew exploration vehicle built by Lockheed Martin.

The Orion capsule, originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon, is a surviving component of the Constellation manned space exploration program canceled by Obama last year for being behind schedule and over budget.

The capsule will weigh 23 tons and NASA has no date set for a potential launch, said Douglas Cooke, associate administrator for NASA's exploration systems mission directorate.

There is also no final cost associated with the project.

Lockheed Martin is to continue its work on building the space capsule begun in 2006.