Fort Worth, Texas, April 7th, 1999 -- Following an extensive audit by a team of auditors from the British Standards Institution, Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems is being recommended for ISO 14001 registration, which certifies the company meets the international standard for effective environmental management.

The audit was conducted from March 29 to April 1, 1999. Auditors examined all aspects of the company's environment, safety and health management programs. The audit team reported the following observations:

Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems occupies more than 600 acres and boasts a mile-long aircraft production line. The facility employs about 11,500 people.

"Obtaining the auditor's recommendation for registration is a real tribute to the months of hard work and dedication by employees throughout the company in preparing for this audit," said Robert T. Elrod, executive vice president of Tactical Aircraft Systems.

Bill Rosenthal, manager of Environmental Resources Management, said, "We expect that obtaining ISO 14001 registration will be a competitive discriminator that will help us win new business in a global market against competitors who do not have the registration."

Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant produces the F-16 for the U.S. Air Force and a number of foreign countries and is leading Lockheed Martin’s Joint Strike Fighter team. The company also produces the F-22’s mid-fuselage section, is responsible for various subsystems of the air dominance fighter and is participating in the production of Japan’s F-2 fighter, which incorporates extensive use of advanced materials technologies.

The company has pursued an aggressive environmental compliance and impact reduction program since the mid-1980s and has received several environmental awards from the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Texas.