Fort Worth, Texas, 26-APR-00 -- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company has reached a new labor agreement with District 776 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the largest union at its Fort Worth, Tex., fighter aircraft facility.

The new contract will allow union members to report as usual tomorrow and resume their work on the F-16 Fighting Falcon, major portions of the F-22 Raptor, and components for Japan's F-2 fighter, among other projects under way at the world's most active producer of tactical military aircraft.

With the new contract in place, we can continue concentrating on the requirements of our customers and our important mission of producing the world's most advanced, highest quality fighter aircraft, said Dain M. Hancock, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company.

With about 2,300 members, the IAM is the largest of five unions at the Fort Worth plant. It represents production and maintenance employees, firefighters and occupational heath nurses. The new contract ends a Machinists' strike that began at midnight on April 9 at the Fort Worth facility.

The facility's other four unions will negotiate new contracts in the coming months.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company includes facilities at three major sites: Fort Worth, Tex.; Marietta, Ga.; and Palmdale, Calif. The unions at Marietta and Palmdale bargain separately and approved new contracts last year.

LM Aeronautics is the world's leading producer of fighter aircraft. The company has orders or is in the process of completing new sales of the F-16 to the U.S. Air Force, Egypt, Greece, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, totaling more than 200 additional aircraft. LM Aeronautics also produces the F-22, F-117 and C-130J and is engaged in competitive development of the next-generation Joint Strike Fighter.