U.S Air Force Awards Lockheed Martin To Start Work On Missile Warning Satellite

Lockheed Martin has won a $82 million contract by the U.S Air Force to start the initial work on the fifth and sixth geosynchronous (GEO) satellites in the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) missile warning constellation. The SBIRS program will deliver resilient and improve missile warning capabilities for the nation and provide significant contributions to the military's missile defense, technical intelligence and battle space awareness mission areas. Two HEO payloads and the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) satellite have already been launched. The GEO-2 is scheduled for launch in March of 2013. Jeff Smith, vice president of Lockheed Martin's Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) mission area, said, "This initial contract will sustain a steady production rate and by the Air Force acquiring satellites in bulk, rather than one at a time, we can significantly reduce costs by achieving economies of scale. We understand both the importance of the SBIRS mission and the weight of the current fiscal environment - and we are committed to delivering mission success affordably and efficiently for the Air Force".