DENVER, CO, October 9th, 1998 -- Lockheed Martin Astronautics has been awarded a $1.327 billion contract modification from the U.S. Air Force to complete production of 40 Titan IV space launch vehicles and provide launch services for 39 missions through 2002. The 40th vehicle will be a spare. The modified contract also covers the launch of five Titan II space launch vehicles. Titan IV, the nation's largest, most powerful expendable launch vehicle, is built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Denver, Colorado. Twenty-five Titan IV rockets have been launched since the first one flew in 1989. Of those, 22 were the Titan IVA series space launch vehicle and three were the newer, more powerful Titan IVB configuration. The Titan IVB will fly the 14 missions remaining under this contract.

Astronautics also has refurbished 14 decommissioned Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) for use as space launch vehicles and already has successfully launched the first seven of them.

"With these contract modifications, the program is now structured to provide for an effective and appropriate transition from Titan to the heavy- lift version of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV)," said Dr. Raymond S. Colladay, president of Lockheed Martin Astronautics.

Astronautics is one of two companies developing the new EELV family of rockets in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force. The EELV rockets are being designed to reduce costs, simplify operations and improve the reliability of launch services for the U.S. government and commercial customers worldwide.

Key provisions in the new Titan contract call for: *Delivery of one additional Centaur upper stage rocket. *Delivery of three additional flight sets of Solid Rocket Motor Upgrades (SRMU). *A full-scale static test firing of the SRMU to requalify the motor and enhance reliability after a change of materials in the nozzle.

As prime contractor and systems integrator for the Titan IV, Astronautics is under contract to the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, El Segundo, California. The company provides overall program management, builds the first and second stages and the Centaur upper stage used on some missions and provides launch services. Titan IV is the nation's largest, most powerful expendable launch vehicle, and provides the principal access to space for critical national security payloads launched from both coasts.

Other members of the Titan contractor team and their responsibilities include: Aerojet Propulsion Division, Sacramento, California, liquid rocket engines; Alliant Techsystems, Magna, Utah, solid rocket motor upgrade; Litton, Goleta, California, Titan II inertial guidance; The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, California, payload fairing; and Honeywell Space Systems, Clearwater, Florida, Titan IV B advanced guidance.

Astronautics is one of the operating units of Lockheed Martin's Space & Strategic Missiles Sector headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Astronautics designs, develops, tests and manufactures a variety of advanced technology systems for space and defense. Chief products include planetary spacecraft and other space systems, space launch systems and ground systems.