ORLANDO, FL, January 12th, 2009

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has been awarded a $5.4 million contract for the initial development phase of the National Cyber Range (NCR) by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Department of Defense’s central research and development organization.

The program is part of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, a major government-wide effort to increase the nation’s defenses against electronic attack.

Tens of thousands of attacks or breaches of government and private computer systems are reported each year. DARPA has been assigned the task of creating and operating the NCR, a test bed consisting of computers and computer systems on which various cyber scenarios may be evaluated to provide a comprehensive, unbiased assessment of the security of information and automated control systems.

Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training & Support will lead a team of experienced cyber technologists from seven companies to work with DARPA on engineering the national cyber range. Drawing on Lockheed Martin's broad capabilities, the team also includes talent from the Corporation's Advanced Technology Laboratories and Information Systems & Global Services units.

DARPA Program Manager Michael VanPutte said: “The National Cyber Range will enable multiple experiments designed to produce unbiased, qualitative and quantitative assessments of information assurance and protection.” VanPutte added, “Ultimately, the NCR will provide fully automated range and test management suites to test and validate leap-ahead cyber research technologies and systems, and provide vision for new computer security research directions for the community.”

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 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.