Since the 1950s, Goodyear, AZ has been the home of Lockheed Martin’s Airborne Ground Surveillance Radar Systems (AGSRS) business. With investment in new labs, product capabilities and facilities underway, Lockheed Martin recently signed a new lease for 31k ft2 of office space to continue development on the next generation of airborne ground surveillance radar products and renewed the option for 16k ft2 of hangar space at the Phoenix Goodyear Airport for continued Flight Service Operations.
Airborne ground surveillance radar and specifically the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) have revolutionized reconnaissance, by providing the capability to see through clouds and darkness to create actionable intelligence. Carl A. Wiley, a mathematician at Goodyear Aircraft Company, now Lockheed Martin AGSRS in Goodyear, Arizona, invented synthetic-aperture radar in June 1951 while working on a correlation guidance system for the Atlas ICBM program..
Lockheed Martin is also investing in research and development to extend radar capabilities, working with customers to engineer new product capabilities and is currently supporting fielded systems in support of AGSRS customer mission requirements. These systems are integrated on a wide range of mission platforms and integrated with other sensors allowing for multi-mission capabilities. Current capabilities include Foliage Penetration, long range over land SAR, Ground Movement Target Identification, and Dismounted Movement Target Identification.
“Lockheed Martin is investing in lab space and capital assets to ensure that Goodyear remains a leader in airborne surveillance,” said Steve Bruce, Vice President, Lockheed Martin. “With a number of domestic and international opportunities on the horizon, our plan is to grow this operation and its workforce in the years to come.”
Beyond the design, manufacture, operation and sustainment of airborne ground surveillance radars, Lockheed Martin is also managing its flight operations capabilities at the Phoenix Goodyear Airport. “Flight-Ops” has provided a center for flight-testing corporate wide electronics systems for over 50 years. This includes FAA concept of operations, key professional relationships and the ability to test and execute on a number of programs, including SAR, MTI, EO/IR, Missile Guidance Systems, Communications payloads, RF Passive systems, and smart munitions. The facility includes a ramp, office, and laboratory currently at Secret Level with ability to support Top Secret. Construction on the new Goodyear office and lab space is scheduled for completion by the end of March 2015.
February 27, 2015