Fort Worth, Texas, December 17th, 1999 -- Following a comprehensive assessment of its software engineering processes, Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems announced today that it has earned the Software Engineering Institute's Level 4 status.

The Level 4 designation, awarded by the Software Productivity Consortium, places the company among the top 5 percent of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contractors for software development. It also makes Tactical Aircraft Systems one of only three defense contractors with more than 1,000 employees involved in software development to earn a Level 4 or higher rating.

Recognizing the increasingly critical role software plays in its systems, the DoD established the Software Engineering Institute to advance the practice of software engineering and to help ensure software is produced on schedule, on budget and to the highest quality standards. The SEI mission is to provide leadership in advancing the practice of software engineering to improve the quality of systems that depend on software.

"Earning Level 4 validates to our customers that our processes are operating at a high level and that we have an infrastructure in place that ensures continuous improvement in software development," said Charla K.Wise, vice president of Product Engineering. "To our Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) customers, earning Level 4 assures them that we have the ability to handle the large software tasks that will be involved with the JSF as it moves from the Concept Demonstration to the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase."

Noting the importance that JSF customers place on affordability for this multi-billion dollar program, Wise added, "Level 4 will enable us to continue reducing our software costs each year through a reduction in rework. Moreover, it will allow our software engineers to better manage their work schedules and improve productivity."

The successfully completed assessment focused on the efforts of five Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) in the F-16, F-22 and JSF program areas. More than 60 people from these IPTs and other product areas participated in individual or group interviews during the assessment process. The assessment addressed the activities of over 1,000 employees involved in software development.

SEI is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the DoD through the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology. The SEI management contract was competitively awarded to Carnegie Mellon University in 1984. The organization is staffed by technical and administrative professionals from government, industry and academia.

Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems is a leader in the design, development, systems integration and support of fighter aircraft. Its customers include the military services of the United States and allied countries throughout the world. LMTAS employs approximately 11,000 people at facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp.