AMPTHILL, BEDFORDSHIRE, March 23, 2011 - Some 60 new jobs are being created at global security company Lockheed Martin UK - Ampthill after the business secured a contract to deliver the turret for the new Scout reconnaissance vehicle for the British Army. The contract with General Dynamics UK will see Lockheed Martin bolster its workforce at the Ampthill site by nearly ten per cent as work progresses over the next three years. Recruitment is already taking place for a wide range of skilled engineering personnel, including systems, mechanical, design, project, electrical and programme managers. Lockheed Martin will provide an initial three turrets as part of the Integration and Test programme on the Demonstration Phase of the project. "The project will be a major boost to throughput at Ampthill and we hope that successful implementation of the demonstration phase will lead to further work in the future," said Alan McCormick, vice president and managing director of Lockheed Martin UK - Ampthill. The Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill site works on major programmes spanning the defence, aerospace and civil sectors. Some 500 people are employed at the location, which houses a 17,000 square metre state-of- the-art manufacturing facility. The Scout project involves a wide range of suppliers with over 75 percent of the work being done in the UK. The vehicle will bring significant benefits, including greater firepower, improved situational awareness, more protection for crew and enhanced mobility. It is ultimately designed to replace the Scimitar armoured fighting vehicle.

• Lockheed Martin UK, part of Lockheed Martin Corporation, is a leader in systems integration, working on major programmes spanning the aerospace, defence and civil sectors. Lockheed Martin UK works with more than 100 business partners and employs over 1,600 people at sites across the UK.
  
  
• Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 132,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.