ORLANDO, FL, 07/09/2008 -- The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Missiles and Fire Control Arizona Support Center (ASC) celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new Arrowhead® and Legacy TADS/PNVS support facility in Gilbert, AZ, yesterday.

Bob Gunning, vice president of Apache Fire Control at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, and outgoing U.S. Army Apache Sensors Program Manager Lt. Col. Scott Bosse provided a tour of the facility to town officials.

The new operation in Gilbert affords us some added capabilities and room for growth, said Gunning. We have been welcomed with open arms, and it's always great to be part of a patriotic community. The employees of Lockheed Martin are proud to supportAmerica's fighting forces, and we are pleased the Gilbert community shares that spirit of patriotism.

The new Lockheed Martin facility in Gilbert supports special electro-optical repair, modification and test activity for the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS), also known as Arrowhead®. This is the only Lockheed Martin M-TADS/PNVS facility that provides field repair for lasers.

Arrowhead is an advanced electro-optical fire control system that provides AH-64D Apache helicopter pilots with advanced pilotage and targeting that result in enhanced mission capability during the conduct of day, night and/or adverse-weather missions. Apaches flying with Arrowhead are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

M-TADS/PNVS addresses a critical warfighting need for our Apache pilots, Lt Col. Bosse said. It provides an incredible operational enhancement.

Gilbert officials, including Mayor Steven Berman, Vice-Mayor Joan Krueger, Town Manager George Pettit, and council members Don Skousen and Steve Urie attended the ribbon cutting ceremony.

We are proud to see one of the nation's largest aerospace companies come to Gilbert, Mayor Berman said. Their move here is further evidence that Gilbert and the Valley can provide one of the nation's smartest workforces. Maricopa County, which includes the town of Gilbert, is the eighth largest aerospace market in the nation, he added.

The support functions and resources that were formerly located in two facilities in Mesa, AZ, are now under one roof with 39,000 square feet of space. The ASC is part of Lockheed Martin's ongoing Lean Six Sigma initiative, specifically focusing on reducing handling and increasing repair activity.

The new facility provides long-term support under the Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract. PBL is a strategy for weapon system product support that employs an integrated, affordable performance package designed to optimize system readiness.

The new facility provides us greater opportunity for efficiencies, said David Belvin, Apache Fire Control program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. It offers new test capabilities that will serve the Arrowhead program for many years.

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control has a long history of customer service in Arizona, with the first Special Repair Activity depot in Mesa in 1984. The ASC's recent move to Gilbert, AZ, was accomplished in mid-May. The relocation to Gilbert allows the 40 person staff to remain active in the Mesa area.

The Phoenix metropolitan area is thriving, said Mark Blanton, Gilbert ASC site manager for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. It's a great place to live, and our employees' families want to stay.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.