Joint Strike Figher - Lockheed haben fertig! - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

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Von Schlusskurs zu Schlusskurs: + 5,3%; offiziell: + 2,4%.

Wednesday September 6, 4:23 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Lockheed Martin Completes JSF Avionics
Development and Integration, Proves Capabilities on
Flying Test Bed

FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter
(JSF) team has completed the development and integration of the aircraft`s avionics systems, further validating the LM design`s
unprecedented combination of capability and affordability.

``These tests prove our JSF avionics are now low-risk and ready to move forward to the Engineering and Manufacturing
Development (EMD) phase,`` said Frank J. Cappuccio, vice president and program manager for the Lockheed Martin JSF. ``This
team has produced a highly evolved, integrated avionics package that ensures our JSF is lethal and supportable, yet still
affordable.``

The team conducted the tests aboard Northrop Grumman`s (NYSE: NOC - news) BAC 1-11 cooperative avionics test bed
(CATB). As a key partner on the LM JSF team, Northrop Grumman has played a central role in developing the aircraft`s mission
systems.

The CATB enables prototype multi-sensor JSF avionics to be flown under real-world conditions, generating data that is impossible
to reproduce in ground testing and allowing the team to validate simulation and modeling tools. CATB has logged more than 100
hours of flight time testing Lockheed Martin JSF mission systems.

Three scenarios defined the test environment: air interdiction, close air support and strategic attack. The avionics package showed
effective warnings against multiple threats while simultaneously attacking designated targets. The tests also emphasized how the
fusion of data from the integrated mission system enhances JSF survivability and lethality.

The JSF mission system demonstrated precision engagement and identification of challenging targets in urban areas. The fusion of
on-board and off-board imagery enhanced target acquisition, identification and precise location.

``In current and past fighters, the pilot has had to read many separate displays and process a lot of information while trying to
attack a target and evade enemy fire,`` said Harry Blot, vice president and deputy program manager for the Lockheed Martin JSF.
``Our JSF assimilates that information automatically and gives the pilot only decision-quality data, freeing him to be a tactician.``

Integrated into the system is a helmet-mounted display (HMD) that provides the pilot with through-the-cockpit situation
awareness. Among the HMD`s key technologies is the Distributed Aperture System (DAS), which uses multiple external sensors
that provide missile warning and enable the pilot to ``see`` through the bottom and sides of the aircraft. DAS produced a seamless
day- and-night infrared imagery scene over a wide field of view.

``These demonstrations provide high confidence for all-weather, real-time target acquisition, identification and weapons
employment,`` said Peter Shaw, mission systems product director for the Lockheed Martin JSF.

Among the integrated systems demonstrated:

-- Automatic Target Cueing (ATC) -- Directs sensors to acquire targets
rapidly and automatically
-- Electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) -- Incorporates advanced
infrared camera technology and other innovations to extend the range
from which pilots can identify targets day or night, and through smoke
-- Electronic warfare (EW) suite -- Detects and locates radio frequency
(RF) threats (such as a lock-on from enemy radar); reduces risk by
integrating new technologies into existing, proven capabilities
-- Electronically scanned radar -- Achieves radar`s typical scanning
function with no moving parts


Avionics team members include Northrop Grumman Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector, Litton Advanced Systems, Kaiser
Electronics, Harris Corp., LM Sanders, and LM Missiles and Fire Control.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - news) received one of two JSF Concept Demonstration contracts awarded by the Department
of Defense in November 1996. The Lockheed Martin JSF team includes Northrop Grumman and BAE SYSTEMS. Flight
evaluation of the demonstrator aircraft is scheduled to take place in 2000, with government selection of a single contractor for the
EMD phase set for 2001.

For information on Lockheed Martin Corporation, visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com.

For information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, visit: http://www.lmaeronautics.com.

;-))

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Monday September 11, 8:05 am Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies

Microsoft, Lockheed Martin Announce Alliance

- Companies Agree to Provide Products to Improve the Management and Delivery of Mail, Messages
and Merchandise -

ANAHEIM, Calif., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corporation and Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies are partnering to develop new products and
services based on commercial-off-the-shelf software and hardware that will link mail processing and information technologies. By working together, the two
companies can more quickly advance Web-enabled processes to improve the management and delivery of mail, messaging and merchandise throughout an enterprise
as well as between businesses.

The agreement will help companies and government agencies quickly and cost-effectively modernize their existing mail processing systems and related information
platforms with common, easy-to-use Internet, intranet and physical sorting solutions.

Mitra Azizirad, general manager of Microsoft Federal, Washington, D.C., along with Michael B. Schoultz, president of Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies,
Owego, N.Y., jointly announced the alliance today during the National Postal Forum being held here now through Sept. 13. In addition, they noted that the first
Web-enabled product from this alliance would be introduced next month during the Microsoft Exchange and Collaboration (MEC) Solutions Conference 2000 in
Dallas Oct. 10-13.

``In our world, this is a significant, strategic step for us,`` said Schoultz. ``We`re linking our advance mail processing capabilities with Microsoft`s information
technology capabilities and software to create a combination that provides better business solutions for all of our customers. The alliance is expected to deliver a
broad set of customer-focused solutions, yielding dramatic decreases in an enterprise`s operating costs while giving customers choices on how, when and where mail
is delivered.``

According to Azizirad, ``Microsoft and Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies are dedicated to helping companies of all sizes -- from small organizations to
large distributed enterprises including national postal agencies -- better meet messaging and collaboration demands, which are rapidly accelerating as a result of
e-commerce.`` The goal is to create a seamless communications infrastructure that will provide continuous, 24 x 7 access to information through emerging
technologies such as wireless communication, unified messaging, handheld devices and videoconferencing, she added.

``Real-time access to critical information across geographic, organizational and technology boundaries is essential today. Our customers must be able to communicate
quickly and efficiently anytime, anywhere and on any device,`` Azizirad said. ``This alliance supports Microsoft`s vision to empower people through great software.``

``Our customers are moving from a world where they count discrete things to a world where controlling and integrating information is a primary objective. It`s no
longer about just moving materials. It`s about partnering to manage knowledge so physical objects can be connected to their associated bits of information or data,
Schoultz said. ``We believe the keys to future innovation will be about the connection of movement with knowledge management. This relationship helps both parties
improve innovation for customer solutions,`` he added.

According to the terms of the agreement, the two business units will cooperate to identify, develop and market Microsoft technologies with Lockheed Martin
Distribution Technologies products and related platform integration for Intranet solutions. Near-term market offerings will include seamless integration of software
using off-the-shelf enabling technologies from Microsoft with automatic mail sorting equipment and dispatch and distribution equipment deployed by Lockheed
Martin. The cooperative effort will include, but not be limited to, the use of Microsoft Windows 2000, embedded Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft development
tools, Microsoft BizTalk Server and Microsoft Commerce Server within Microsoft`s .NET platform, built on open Internet protocols and standards. In addition, a
showcase pilot project has been initiated.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing.
The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft, Windows 2000, Windows NT, BizTalk Server, Commerce Server and .NET are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the
United States or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on
Microsoft`s corporate information pages.

About Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies

Distribution Technologies is a leader in design, production and systems integration of a broad product portfolio of recognition, sortation, facilities operations
automation and information management systems technology. It serves national postal services, mail centers, mail service providers, retail companies and package
delivery services worldwide. Distribution Technologies is a business unit of Lockheed Martin Systems Integration - Owego, a leader in providing
advanced-technology products, services and systems integration solutions for defense, civil and commercial customers worldwide. Systems Integration - Owego
employs more than 4,300 people at facilities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT -
news) with headquarters in Bethesda, Md.

For information on the Microsoft Federal business unit, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/federal.

For information on Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies, visit: http://www.lmdtech.com.

Microsoft®, Microsoft Windows®, and Microsoft Windows NT® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft BizTalk Server(TM), Microsoft Commerce Server(TM) and Microsoft .NET(TM) platform are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies

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!

Dieser Beitrag wurde vom System automatisch gesperrt. Bei Fragen wenden Sie sich bitte an [e-mail]

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Satellite Venture.


Bethesda, Maryland, Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Lockheed Martin Corp. agreed to sell about a third of the defense contractor`s
stake in a marine satellite venture to Norway`s Telenor AS to defray costs at its satellite-telecommunications business.

Lockheed expects to realize a $100 million profit from the sale of the stake in Inmarsat Ventures Ltd. Lockheed`s ownership of
the venture will drop to 14 percent from about 22 percent, said Morgan Broman, a spokesman. The stake of Telenor, Norway`s
largest telephone company, will rise to 15 percent from 6.8 percent.

Lockheed acquired its portion of Inmarsat, originally set up as an inter-governmental satellite organization, through last month`s
purchase of Comsat Corp. Lockheed wants to boost sales of satellite services because they`re more profitable than its
traditional military businesses. Still, the company has said it`s seeking to raise cash and find an experienced partner will help
make the transition faster and add customers.

Inmarsat provides satellite communications service to shipping, air transport and oil companies. London-based Inmarsat is
owned by about 80 telephone companies and became a private company in April 1999.

Shares of Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed rose 19 cents to 29.69 in New York Stock Exchange trading. They`ve risen 36
percent this year.

Sep/13/2000 16:19 ET

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Wer`s jetzt noch nicht schnallt ist selber schuld:

Subject:
Lockheed Martin Press Release
Date:
Wed, 20 Sep 2000 17:04:48 -0500
From:
[e-mail]
To:
xxx





- LOCKHEED MARTIN INCREASES FREE CASH FLOW ESTIMATES FOR 2000

- REAFFIRMS 2000 EARNINGS PER SHARE OUTLOOK

- INCREASES 2001 EPS GUIDANCE

BETHESDA, MD, September 20, 2000 - Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Chairman and CEO Vance Coffman today announced that he expects an increase in the Corporation`s estimated year 2000 free cash flow to at least $1.5 billion versus the previous estimate of at least $900 million. The Corporation also estimates it will generate at least $2.3 billion in free cash flow during the two years 2000 and 2001 combined versus previous estimates of $1.7 billion.

"We have made free cash flow generation a top priority," Coffman said. "Our working capital performance has improved across all of our business areas which is the primary basis for our strong cash flow performance to-date. These benefits are the direct result of the strategy we announced last September to focus on our core aerospace and defense customers, divest certain noncore businesses, and restore our balance sheet."

Coffman, while reaffirming the 2000 Earnings Per Share (EPS) outlook at $1.05, said he projects 2001 EPS to increase approximately 20 percent over the 2000 estimate, or about $1.25. He also reaffirmed the Corporation`s longer term annual 15 - 25 percent EPS growth expectations. These estimates exclude nonrecurring and unusual items.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation`s core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology services. Lockheed Martin had 1999 sales surpassing $25 billion.

# # #

Media Contact:
James Fetig,
301-897-6352;
e-mail, j
[e-mail]

Investor Contact:
Randa Middleton,
301-897-6455;
e-mail,
[e-mail]

For additional information, visit our website:
www.lockheedmartin.com

NOTE: Statements in this press release, including the statements relating to projected future financial performance, are considered forward-looking statements under the federal securities laws. Sometimes these statements will contain words such as "believes," "projects," "expects," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "outlook," "forecast," and other similar words. These statements are not guarantees of our future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Numerous factors could cause our actual performance or achievements to differ materially from those we project.

Actual results will be different from projected future financial results due to the inherent nature of projections and may be better or worse than projected. Given these uncertainties, you should not rely on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date that they were made. We expressly disclaim a duty to provide updates to these forward-looking statements, and the estimates and assumptions associated with them, after the date of this press release to reflect events or circumstances or changes in expectations or the occurrence of subsequent events.

In addition to the factors set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (available for review at www.sec.gov), the following factors could affect the forward-looking statements: the ability to achieve or quantify savings for our customers or ourselves through business area streamlining, staff reductions, global cost-cutting program and other financial management programs; program performance; the ability to obtain or the timing of obtaining future government awards; the availability of government funding and customer requirements; difficulties in developing and making operational advanced technology systems in space and other business areas; economic conditions; competition; international business and political conditions domestically and internationally; timing of awards and contracts; timing and customer acceptance of product delivery and launches; the outcome of contingencies (including the completion of divestitures, litigation and environmental remediation). These are only some of the numerous factors which may affect the forward-looking statements in this press release.

------------------------------------------------------
This service provided by Shareholder.com.

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LOCKHEED MARTIN TO COMBINE COMMERCIAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES UNIT WITH GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS SUBSIDIARY


BETHESDA, Maryland - Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) said today it is combining its Integrated Business Solutions (IBS) unit
with the Corporation`s Global Telecommunications (LMGT) subsidiary to create a single source for customers` requirements
for connectivity, network services, infrastructure management and application solutions.

IBS is the commercial information technology services arm of Lockheed Martin that partners with customers worldwide to
develop and deploy IT outsourcing, eBusiness, enterprise systems integration and technology training solutions. LMGT,
which recently completed its merger with COMSAT Corporation, is a global provider of network services, satellite services
and advanced technology solutions to enterprise customers.

Vance Coffman, chairman and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin, said, "Combining these two businesses is consistent
with our drive to strategically position the Corporation`s commercial businesses and unlock shareholder value. Further, we
believe this move further strengthens LMGT`s attractiveness to strategic partners and, ultimately, the public equity
market."

"This is a logical pairing of technological and customer strengths, giving Lockheed Martin enhanced critical mass in the
converging Infocom marketplace. This combined entity will be uniquely positioned to deliver connectivity, network
services, infrastructure management and applications solutions to commercial customers globally" said John Sponyoe, chief
executive officer of LMGT.

LMGT blends Lockheed Martin`s legacy of designing, integrating and managing the world`s most complex and secure high-speed
data network and global services for governments, along with its multi-faceted communications heritage, with COMSAT`s
leadership role in digital networking services and technology and international satellite communications services. The
addition of IBS significantly augments LMGT`s information management solutions capability.

The combined business will have revenues in excess of $1 billion and employ some 3,900 personnel worldwide, with major
operations in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Clarksburg, Maryland; and Orlando, Florida; regional offices in Atlanta; Reston,
Virginia; King of Prussia, Pennsylvania; and Santa Clara, California; and international operations in Canada, United
Kingdom, Korea, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sweden, Singapore, Japan, Ireland, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela,
Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Turkey, China, Russia and India.


CONTACT: Charles Manor, LMGT, 301/214-3115, email [e-mail]

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Und weiter geht`s mit neuen Kaufempfehlungen:

Lockheed Martin Price Target Raised at Wasserstein Perella
By Donna Mcdonald
Princeton, New Jersey, Sept. 28 (Bloomberg Data) -- Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT
US) was maintained ``buy`` by analyst Joseph D. San Pietro at Wasserstein Perella
Securities. The 12-month price target was raised to $41 from $36 per share.

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Na, dann wollen wir das Selbstgespraech mal fortfuehren:

Friday September 29, 12:38 pm Eastern Time

UK announces bidders to run air traffic control

LONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Britain said on Friday it had received four preliminary bids in
the partial privatisation of the UK air traffic control system.

The controversial UK government decision to go ahead with the public-private partnership
tender process for the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) was on schedule, with a shortlist
expected to be decided by early November.

The Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions said in a statement the
partnership was expected to be in place by end-March 2001.

Analysts say NATS could be valued at up to 1.0 billion pounds ($1.47 billion) and nearly 20 groups were earlier reported to have
expressed an interest in the 46 percent stake on offer.

The statement said indicative bids were received from:

- Nimbus, a consortium comprising Serco Group Plc (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: SRP.L) and PPM Ventures;

- Novares, a consortium comprising Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE:LMT - news), Apax Partners and Airways International Ltd;

- Raytheon Systems Ltd (NYSE:RTNa - news);

- The Airline Group, a consortium comprising British Airways (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BAY.L), British Midland
[BMID.UL], Virgin Atlantic [VA.UL], Airtours Plc (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: AIR.L), Britannia [BRIT.UL], JMC,
Monarch [MONA.UL] and easyJet [EZY.UL].

It said it had also received expressions of continuing interest from Boeing Co (NYSE:BA - news) and Alenia Marconi Systems, a
joint venture between Italy`s Finmeccanica and BAE Systems (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BAE.L).

Some air industry players and members of parliament have criticised the decision to part-privatise NATS, saying it could
jeopardise safety.

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9/30/00 - NASA, Lockheed Martin reach deal to get cash-strapped X-33 space plan back
on track



CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. _ NASA and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin announced a
deal Friday to get the cash-strapped X-33 space plane back on track _ for a little while,
anyway.
A 1996 agreement governing the $1.3 billion program has been extended 90 days from Dec.
31 to March 31. The extension will give Lockheed Martin time to seek additional money for
the experimental rocket ship from a new space launch initiative proposed by the White
House.

X-33 is designed to test technologies deemed critical to slashing the cost of reaching orbit.
It`s been touted as a stepping stone to a possible replacement for NASA`s space shuttle.

As part of the new agreement, NASA will advance Lockheed Martin $68 million to keep
the controversial project going. The money comes from reducing incentive payments due
after X-33 completes its flight test program, which now is more than a year and a half
behind schedule. The advance will allow Lockheed Martin to pay subcontractors for work
already done.

X-33 has been in dire straits financially since suffering a series of engineering setbacks last
year. NASA`s $912 million bankroll for X-33 will be down to only $44 million after the $68
million advance. The first test flights are still more than two years away.

Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin and it`s industry partners have seen their stake grow from
$212 to $356 million. The company isn`t anxious to invest more of its money.

``This agreement allows us to keep the team ... continuing to work on the X-33 program,``
said Art Stephenson, director of Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA`s lead center for
rocket development. ``It`s taken awhile, but we`ve come out with an agreement that is good
for the government and allows Lockheed Martin some options as they go forward as well.``

The goal is to build a half-scale prototype of a reusable ship that could reach space without
jettisoning used rocket stages or fuel tanks, then return and land like an airplane.

X-33 was supposed to test several cutting-edge technologies during 15 suborbital flights,
including advanced aerospike rocket engines, heat-resistant metallic tiles and lightweight
graphite composite fuel tanks. Work on the engines and tiles has gone relatively smoothly.
But the fuel tanks have been a nagging problem. One of the tanks split open last November
during pressure testing at Marshall.

Project managers made official Friday a long-rumored switch to heavier but proven
aluminum fuel tanks. However, the question of who will pay the estimated $55 million tab
for the design and manufacture of the new aluminum tanks is still being discussed.

No new NASA funds have been specifically earmarked for X-33. But government money
appears the key to finishing the project.

Lockheed Martin is pinning its hopes on the Clinton administration`s new space launch
initiative currently moving through Congress. The initiative is designed to reduce technical
and financial risk for next-generation launch vehicles. Lockheed Martin plans to compete
against other companies for research dollars to finish X-33.

If that doesn`t happen, the company could exercise its option to walk away.

``I cannot commit at this time to whether we would go forward or not,`` said Al Smith,
executive vice-president of Lockheed Martin`s space systems division. ``Looking at the
market forecast we see going forward, it would be very difficult to make that decision.``

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Gerade im Hinblick auf die juengsten Entwicklungen in Yugoslawien und den damit verbundenen Rueckzug
russischer Truppen nach Suedosteuropa duerfte dies eine der interessantesten Nachrichten des Tages sein:

Monday October 9, 3:19 pm Eastern Time

Lockheed eyes E. Europe market for used fighters

BRUSSELS, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT - news) sees a business
in supporting used F-16s for Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary should those countries
drop plans for new combat aircraft, the company said on Monday.

``I think we have to say the prospect of new planes is still alive at the moment,`` Scott Harris,
Lockheed`s vice president for plans and analysis, told Reuters in an interview.

But he saw ``a very attractive possibility for used F-16s to be a way into the Nato
inter-operable world.``

The three Eastern and Central European countries have a long-standing requirement to replace their old Soviet-era combat aircraft
with modern Western fighters whose systems meet Nato standards.

They have called for offers of new planes but used ones would be much cheaper, especially since the U.S. armed forces have
many more fighters from the late-1970s and 1980s than they need.

``There is interest in Italy,`` Harris said, referring to the possibility of supplying F-16As as interim equipment pending the delivery of
Italy`s new Eurofighter Typhoons.

``There is interest in Central Europe right now.``

``The Poles are clearly looking at that very carefully.``

The surplus aircraft belonged to the U.S. Air Force but Lockheed could be involved in upgrading and supporting the planes, he
said.

However, F-16s are not the only surplus stock left over from the Cold War. The U.S. Navy has spare F/A-18s built in the 1980s
by McDonnell Douglas, now part of Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - news)

Those aircraft, larger and therefore generally more capable than F-16s of a similar age, would presumably be alternatives for
Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Competitors to supply new fighters to the three countries include Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Sweden`s Saab in association with
Britain`s BAE Systems Plc (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BA.L) and Dassault Aviation of France.

-- Bradley Perrett, European aerospace & defence correspondent

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Lockheed Martins Joint Strike Fighter Nears First Test Flight

Oct. 9 (The Dallas Morning News/KRTBN)--Lockheed Martin, competing with Boeing
Co. for the richest defense contract in history, expects to make the first
flight of its Joint Strike Fighter demonstrator plane within two weeks.

Lockheed Martin will be sending its X-35 jet into the air about a month later
than its rival for the $200 billion contract did. But Lockheed officials said
the competition has never been a race to be first.

"We`re excited about nearing our flight time. We`re not concerned about starting
a little bit later. To us it`s not a horse race, it`s about showing the
fly-before-you-buy option," said Lockheed Martin spokesman Kathryn Hayden.

Last week, Lockheed Martin prepared for a series of tests that must be completed
before the X-35 can be cleared for takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in
California.

"They`re doing final preparations for engine runs and taxi tests prior to
flight," company spokeswoman Carolyn Hodge said.

The Joint Strike Fighter is designed to be an all-in-one jet for the U.S. Navy,
Air Force and Marine Corps and the British Royal Navy. The Air Force versions
are the first to be tested, with both Boeing and Lockheed Martin saying they
will have their Navy jets ready within a couple of months.

The first Lockheed test will be flown by Tom Morgenfeld, a 21-year company test
pilot from Buffalo, N.Y. He will pilot the aircraft for about 40 hours over
several months to test flight controls, propulsion systems, landing gear and
flaps.

The company has a second demonstrator aircraft that will be used to test the
Navy`s requirements, such as the ability to make carrier landings. That version
has a larger wing and is expected to begin flight testing in mid-November,
although it hasn`t begun engine runs.

Boeing has made seven test flights with its JSF demonstrator, the X-32A. The
Seattle-based company already has found a hydraulic fluid leak and problems in
retracting the landing gear.

The leak was fixed after the maiden flight, and the landing gear has had to stay
down for all of the flights while engineers have worked to fix it.

"It`s probably that the pressures on the system from the air flow is causing it
to react differently than in simulation. That`s under study," said Boeing
spokesman Randy Harrison.

"It has not had any negative impact on the flight tests -- none. We expect it to
be resolved within days if not a week or so."

Boeing will use the X-32A demonstrator for the Air Force and Navy tests, and a
second aircraft will test fly the short takeoff and vertical landings required
by the Marines and the British. That version is scheduled to begin flight tests
early next year, Mr. Harrison said.

The goal is to show whether the planes can get off the ground, into the air and
back down safely, like any conventional jet.

The plane must also fly slow approaches used during aircraft carrier landings
and make short takeoffs, hover like a helicopter and land straight down, as
required by the Marines.

Flights are supposed to continue into 2001, when the Pentagon is scheduled to
pick a winner.

Any delays mean Lockheed Martin and Boeing are required to spend money to keep
their design teams. "It will cost some because you have to keep the teams
going," Ms. Hodge said. "It`s something the government is looking at."

Mr. Harrison said Boeing is concerned about a delay but is not actively
crunching numbers to see the costs involved.

JSF critics say the costs will only mount the longer the selection process is
drawn out.

"There is no such thing as a delay that saves money," said Luke Warren, an
analyst for the Pentagon watchdog group Council for a Livable World.

"Delays will not help them stay within budget"

;-))

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Friday October 13, 2:20 pm Eastern Time

British defence ministry wants U.S. JSF combat
jet--source

By Bradley Perrett, European aerospace & defence correspondent

LONDON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Britain`s Ministry of Defence will recommend the government
adopts the planned U.S. Joint Strike Fighter to equip the country`s future aircraft carriers, a source familiar with the department`s
thinking said.

Rejecting bids from Boeing (NYSE:BA - news), Dassault Aviation , BAE Systems (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BA.L) and
the Eurofighter consortium offering other aircraft, the ministry wants the government to pay about one billion pounds ($1.5 billion)
to maintain Britain`s role in the huge U.S. Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme, the source said.

The government is expected to decide whether to do so in the next few months.

``None of the other aircraft matches JSF`s all-round performance and suitability,`` the source told Reuters.

Britain has been the United States` major partner in the development project for JSF and must decide in less than a year whether
to continue its contributions to the programme`s costs.

Theoretically, Britain has the option of buying JSFs off the shelf, without continuing its contributions to the development
programme. But the source said the ministry sees persuasive reasons for sticking by the United States.

A British order for 150 JSFs has long been pencilled into the programme, but the ministry has been considering alternatives from
Boeing, Dassault and other firms since the 1998 British defence review.

Vertical-landing versions of the JSF could replace Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Harrier jump-jets, but another source said
Britain had the option of switching to a different version designed to be launched from aircraft-carrier catapults.

``That`s an option, although there are complications,`` that source said.

The project is also very closely matched to British requirements -- because Britain has been involved since its inception and joined
the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps in writing the specification.

Aerospace engineers say most aspects of the plane`s performance will far exceed that of comparable fighters.

Most notably, it is a stealthy plane, shaped so that it does not reflect radio waves back at enemy radars.

U.S. aerospace firms Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE:LMT - news) and Boeing Co (NYSE:BA - news) are competing for a prime
contract to develop and build about 3,000 JSFs plus perhaps another 3,000 for export.

Britain needs JSFs or other planes for two large aircraft carriers it intends to bring into service from 2012.

The irony is that Britian needs to make a final decision on JSF before the Pentyagon does, and that poses a risk, since the JSF is
not scheduled to enter U.S. service until 2010. If it is selected but delayed by more than two years, then the carrier programme
would be affected.

A Ministry of Defence official told a conference this week the possibility of the United States delaying JSF was an issue.

``From 2012 we expect (Harrier) numbers to become steadily unavailable,`` Air Commodore Peter Giles told the conference.
``There is not going to be a hard cut-off (but) that doesn`t mean that we are relaxed about it.``

Giles would not say which aircraft had been chosen, adding the ministry would make a recommendation ``in due course``.

VALUABLE INFLUENCE

Conversely the second source said influence over the programme was the main reason Britain would want to keep up
contributions to JSF development, rather than buy planes like any export customer.

``We get wonderful value for our money,`` that source said.

If Britain stayed in, the programme would be more likely to produce a plane that suited its armed forces, the source added.

The presence of an international partner might help persuade the U.S. Congress to keep the project on track and, perhaps most
importantly, it would ensure that Britain would be among the first in the queue.

Also, no one has any idea how much regular export customers will have to fork out for their JSFs, whereas programme partners
expect to pay only around $30 million to $35 million a plane.

Since other fighters cost $50 million or more, the winning contractor could easily expect to put a higher price on export JSFs.

The Eurofighter consortium combines European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co , BAE and Italy`s Finmeccanica .

[Gatsby2]

Friday October 13, 5:31 pm Eastern Time

Aerospace, defense stocks cruising, some turbulence

By Chris Stetkiewicz

SEATTLE, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Strong commercial airplane sales and election-year talk of
boosting military spending have most U.S. aerospace and defence stocks on the rise and
analysts say the recent gains should continue.

Stunned by spectacular flame-outs of technology stocks that were rocketing higher several
months ago, investors have rediscovered long-neglected defence giants, where stock prices are
improving along with most bottom lines.

Analysts expect third-quarter earnings data in coming days to show cash rolling in at most aerospace and defence titans, with
many likely to shrug off fuel price hikes and Middle East tensions to deliver even better numbers in coming months.

``I think you will have double-digit (percentage) earnings growth in most companies,`` said Paul Nisbet at JSA Research. ``The
commercial and military aerospace businesses are looking very strong, as is general aviation.``

BOEING GAINING STEAM

Most discussions of the sector start with Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - news) and the world`s largest plane maker is expected to show
steady profit growth in its third quarter report.

The Seattle aerospace giant has boosted its cash flow projections and delivery forecasts in recent months, while its 467 net new
commercial jet orders thus far in 2000 puts it on pace for its best showing in several years.

But the sharp rally in Boeing shares--nearly doubling from a first-quarter low of $32 during a costly engineers strike--has some
analysts looking for bargains elsewhere in the sector.

Falls Church, Virginia-based military shipbuilder General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE:GD - news) tops several analysts` hit lists,
though its shares have also soared this year, hitting a new high at $67-3/8 on Friday.

Service sector growth could help General Dynamics beat analysts` consensus forecast of $1.01 per share measured by First
Call/Thomson Financial, while strong sales in its Gulfstream business jet unit bode well for the future.

MIXED PICTURE AT LOCKHEED

At Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT - news), the world`s biggest defence contractor, the picture was more mixed. Third
quarter earnings will be down from a year ago, but in line with expectations.

Costly delays in the C-130J military transport plane programme and setbacks in its Titan and Atlas rocket programmes have been
largely discounted and Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed`s stock has risen with the rest of the group.

``Lockheed should have stronger cash flow generation, as they recently pushed those numbers up,`` said Sam Pearlstein at First
Union Securities. "But they were doing 12-percent margins in their aeronautics business a couple years ago and now they`re doing
7 percent.

Lockheed`s F-16 fighter jet has outdueled Boeing`s F-15, but the two rivals are still battling for a monstrous contract to build an
advanced stealth fighter jet -- the Joint Strike Fighter -- worth $500 billion from U.S. and foreign militaries.

The Pentagon could still split the order between the two, but a bigger concern is the recent delay on that decision, now expected in
late 2001, and speculation that a new U.S. administration could scrap the programme altogether.

At Raytheon Co. (NYSE:RTNb - news), earnings will also dip from a year ago, but should still meet analyst forecasts.

The Lexington, Mass.-based Patriot missile builder and No. 3 U.S. defence contractor endured a bitter month-long strike last
month.

But analysts predict sales growth in most sectors except perhaps its Beech aircraft division, which may show better profit margins
and should post better sales later this year.

``While there remains substantial execution risk for meeting (second half 2000) expectations, we believe that it is discounted in the
(Raytheon) stock and that the risk-reward is attractive,`` analysts at Credit Suisse First Boston wrote in a recent research note.

Report Q3 EPS Year
Company Ticker Date Forecast* ago
Boeing BA.N 10/18 0.67 0.56
General Dynamics GD.N 10/19 1.01 0.90
Lockheed Martin LMT.N 10/26 0.24 0.48
Northrop Grumman NOC.N 10/18 2.01 1.83
Raytheon RTNb.N 10/19 0.39 0.59
United Technologies UTX.N 10/18 0.96 0.83
BF Goodrich GR.N 10/26 0.82 0.74
Newport News Ship NNS.N 10/15 0.63 0.58

* Source: First Call Thomson Financial

[gholzbauer]

LMT und RTN.B fliegen -
leider ohne mich.
Hab`s verpaßt.

[Gatsby2]

Um den Thread mal wieder ein wenig fortzusetzen hier ein kleines Schmankerl fuer diejenigen, die sich nicht nur
fuer Aktien, sondern auch fuer schicke Flugzeuge interessieren. Kursrelevant duerfte das allerdings erst dann
werden, wenn es um die Auslandsverkaeufe der F-22 geht. Im Hinblick auf den Kurs sind jetzt erstmal die Quar-
talszahlen wichtig, die am 26.10. faellig sind. Der Analystenkonsens liegt bei $0.24, die Fluesterschaetzung bei
$0.26.



October 19, 2000

A hawk among pigeons
The United States Air Force has developed a new high-tech jet fighter that will make all other warplanes obsolete and
dominate the skies for decades to come

Joseph Frey
National Post

Aquiet revolution in aviation technology is taking place at a remote airbase in the Southern California desert. The
product of the Air Tactical Fighter Program of the United States Air Force (USAF), the F-22 Raptor embodies a
radically new philosophy of fighter design. The aircraft combines stealth, supercruise (supersonic cruising speed),
agility and fully integrated avionics in one aircraft, making all other jet fighters obsolete.

So far, the only three F-22s in the world are located at Edwards Air Force Base. Edwards is the centre of jet
aircraft experimentation and development. Here, test pilots such as General Chuck Yaeger broke the sound
barrier, and speeds of up to Mach 6 have been achieved. The first aircraft flights into space were taken from here,
too. Edwards is named after Captain Glen Edwards, a Canadian aeronautical engineer who was a U.S. pilot in
the Second World War. He was killed in 1948 while test-flying an experimental flying wing.

"When USAF takes delivery of the first of its 339 operational F-22 Raptors in 2003, it will have an aircraft that will
catapult the United States from having one of the best air superiority fighters, the F-15C Eagle, to owning the
world`s premier air dominance aircraft," says Randy Neville, a Boeing test pilot who has flown 80 aircraft types
including jet fighters from the United States, Russia, Britain, France and Italy.

The F-22`s agility in close combat clinched the Air Tactical Fighter Program contract for the Lockheed
Martin/Boeing consortium over Northrop`s FY-23. Previous stealth aircraft such as the SR-71 spy plane, F-117
fighter and B-2 bomber were not very nimble. In fact, the F-117 and B-2 are subsonic and can fly only at night,
while the F-22 is a supersonic, all-weather, day-and-night fighter.

"The F-22`s stealth technology reduces its radar signature to the size of a tennis ball allowing it to remain undetected for longer periods of time,"
says Joe Oberle, director of development for Lockheed Martin. "The F-22 was 15 years in the making. Instead of using the traditional brute force
principle of jet fighter design consisting of increased speed, improved turning performance and better weapons, we decided to design the F-22
around the principles of exploit information, deny information to the enemy and overwhelming lethality."

As well as carrying out air dominance missions, it will be able to attack ground targets and penetrate enemy air defences as they evolve. The
F-22`s weapons systems are a 100% improvement over the F-15C.

The F-22`s computers, equivalent to two Cray computers, combined with its integrated avionics suite, will ease the pressure on its pilots "and
minimize their housekeeping chores," says Neville. At present, air force pilots have to absorb vast amounts of data on a heads-up display,
making complex calculations in their heads, setting priorities and tracking other aircraft, and sometimes pulling 5Gs upside-down during an
attack -- as I have observed while flying in a Canadian Air Force CF-18B during a live fire exercise.

"The F-22 is the first aircraft to have three-sensor data fusion, fusing communication, navigation and information (CNI) with electronic warfare and
radar sensors," says Michael Harris, Boeing`s manager of F-22 avionics development. "No other aircraft has true sensor fusion."

Boeing has been integrating the F-22`s advanced avionics, both in one of its labs and on board its flying test bed. Developed for the F-22 project,
the FTB is a modified Boeing 757, which, according to Harris, "allows you to have 30- 35 high-tech engineers who can evaluate problems and
successes, to modify the test sequences in real time, and its success has been outstanding. We found difficult problems in the avionics that
could not have been found anywhere else except up in the air using the FTB. It`s been so successful we plan to use it in developing future
aircraft." When fully tested, the integrated avionics will be built into the fourth F-22 this autumn.

Some Canadian pilots who flew in last year`s air war over Yugoslavia point out in conversation that it has become crucial for aircraft to exchange
messages during combat missions without using detectable voice communications. Several F-22s will be able to silently communicate, as well
as exchange data gathered by their sensors through Inter/Intra Flight Data Link (IFDL). IFDL can also download data gathered by AWACS
aircraft and satellites.

Using IFDL, two F-22s flying a combat mission will be able to silently pass information about their fuel status, speed and ammunition load. The
F-22`s sensors can detect hostile aircraft and identify their models, their numbers, speed, distance and altitude. The Situation Display will also
show which enemy planes the pilots intend to fire upon, so that they don`t waste missiles firing at the same aircraft. "Fusing the information
collected from the F-22`s sensors gives the pilot a simple intuitive picture on a multi-coloured display," says Neville, "providing a God`s-eye view
of the tactical situation, while denying the same information to the enemy. This gives our pilots a situational awareness at a glance, tracking and
identifying all targets, allowing the pilot to be a tactician and employing his weapons rather than being a sensor operator and a data analyst."

The F-22 does not have radios, navigation equipment, instrument landing systems or radar in the traditional sense. These functions are
performed by common integrated processor (CIP) modules. These can imitate any electronic function through automatic reprogramming, which
makes the F-22 resistant to combat damage. If the CIP module acting as the radio is hit by enemy fire, one of the other modules will
automatically reload the radio program and take over the radio function.

The use of CIP modules will also allow the F-22`s systems to be easily upgraded during its planned 25 years of service.

The F-22`s twin Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with afterburners and two-dimensional thrust-vectoring nozzles will deliver an
incredible 35,000 pounds of thrust per engine, outperforming current aircraft by 10,000 pounds. "These engines have been a true strong point in
the test program," says Neville. "They have delivered remarkable power, response and almost flawless operation during demanding flight
profiles."

The F119 engines include integrated flight-propulsion controls and two-dimensional, thrust-vectoring engine nozzles, enhancing the plane`s
agility and allowing it to stand vertically on its tail and rotate to a 60-degree angle of attack. "Other jet fighters stall out at 28 to 30 degrees,"
Oberle observes.

"I have been continuously impressed," says Neville, "to see this airplane flying with almost no air speed, and have the pilot abruptly put in
aggressive, full deflection control inputs, and the aircraft responds benignly, with no hint of going out of control."

The Pratt & Whitney F119 supercruise engines are designed for efficient supersonic operation without fuel-guzzling afterburner use. An F-22 will
be able to supercruise into combat zones with sustained speeds up to 1,200 miles per hour. "The F-22 stealth aircraft flying at Mach 1.5 will be
able to pass by enemy radar and fly through their air defences before they can lock on to the Raptor and fire off a missile," comments Oberle.

The United States is three decades ahead of other jet fighter manufacturing nations such as Russia, Britain, France and Sweden in stealth
technology. On top of that advantage, the F-22`s supercruise and integrated avionics will let it fly in a combat environment where it will clearly
dominate the aerial battlefield with its "first look, first shot, first kill" capability. A hawk among pigeons, the F-22 is likely to dominate the skies
for decades to come.

Quelle: http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20001…

[Gatsby2]

Ja, und schon wieder gibt es Nachrichten von Lockheed. Bob Stevens, der Manager der finanziellen Konsolidierung,
löst nach nur 6 Monaten den eher glücklosen Louis Hughes ab:

Lockheed President, Operating Chief to Leave Oct. 31
By TSC Staff

10/19/00 4:44 PM ET



Lockheed Martin (LMT:NYSE - news) said Louis R. Hughes, the president and chief
operating officer, will leave the company effective Oct. 31, after about six months in the
position.

Hughes, who has been in the post since April 27, cited personal and family reasons for the
decision. Robert J. Stevens, the executive vice president and chief financial officer, has
been named to succeed Hughes.

Stevens will assume the title of president and chief operating officer and will continue as
financial chief until a replacement is named. Stevens was also named to the board.

;-))

[Gatsby2]

Tuesday October 24, 3:57 pm Eastern Time

RPT-UPDATE 1-Lockheed fighter flies on first test
flight

(UPDATE: adds details, quotes, background)

By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - news) Corp.`s Joint
Strike Fighter flew for the first time Tuesday, advancing the contest for a defence contract
that could be worth $300 billion over nearly 20 years, the richest ever.

``The airplane was just awesome from the start,`` Lockheed Martin X-35 test pilot Tom Morganfeld told reporters in a conference
call. ``Trouble-free from beginning to end, absolutely no surprises.``

The Pratt & Whitney-powered supersonic stealth aircraft took off from Palmsdale, Calif., and landed 22 minutes later at Edwards
Air Force Base, about 30 miles away.

Boeing (NYSE:BA - news) Co., which is competing for the contract, flew its X-32A concept demonstrator on Sept. 18 on the
same route.

The fighter programme is to come up with a highly common family of craft to replace ageing aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, Navy
and Marine Corps starting in 2008.

Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin`s partners are Grumman (NYSE:NOC - news) Corp. and BAE Systems Plc (quote from
Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BA.L).

The Pentagon plans to buy nearly 3,000 copies of the joint strike fighter at some $30 million apiece, far below the cost of about $84

million for the more advanced Lockheed Martin F-22. The overseas market may total another 3,000 units.

Government selection of a single contractor for the engineering and manufacturing development phase is expected to take place
next September, Defence Department acquisitions chief Jacques Gansler told reporters 10 days ago.

Morganfeld said he piloted the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) version to an altitude of 10,000 feet and a speed of about
250 knots while tracing figure-eights to demonstrate key handling qualities and validate design predictions.

Dain Hancock, president of Fort Worth, Texas-based Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, said the strike fighter was ``the
single most important new business programme that we are pursuing at the moment.``

``We fully expect to come out at the end of this, next fall, as the winner,`` he added in the telephone conference, matching Boeing`s

stated confidence.

Boeing and Lockheed are expected to share some work on the deal regardless of which company wins but each covets the
prestige and financial control of the prime contractor`s role.

Key members of Boeing`s JSF also include BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce Plc (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: RR.L), Honeywell
International Inc. (NYSE:HON - news), Raytheon Co. (NYSE:RTNa - news) and United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX -
news) subsidiary Pratt & Whitney.

Quelle:
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/001024/n24523450_4.html

Und die Videos gibt`s hier:
http://www.lmaeronautics.com/image_gallery/videos/jsf_videos…

:-))

[Gatsby2]

Lockheed Martin Credit Rating Improves

By TOM CANAHUATE DefenseNews.com Staff Writer


WASHINGTON — A credit rating agency has raised the rating of Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md., from negative to
stable as business conditions for the firm improved during the past two quarters.

Fitch, based in New York and London, raised Lockheed Martin’s credit profile Oct. 23 in response to the company’s extensive
debt-reduction program, enhanced cash flow and a backlog of $57 billion in orders.

“Fitch expects this trend to continue,” the international credit rating agency said in a written statement announcing its decision.
The rating agency said Lockheed Martin’s current divestiture effort, including the sale of its Control Systems and Aerospace
Electronic Systems divisions to BAE SYSTEMS North America, Rockville, Md., will improve the firm’s financial performance.

Credit ratings help determine how much money and at what interest rate a company can obtain short-term and long-term
business loans from commercial banks.

“We are satisfied when we see our success recognized,” Hugh Burns, spokesman for Lockheed Martin, told
DefenseNews.com Oct. 24. “We are always pleased when analysts rate us favorably.”

Meanwhile, one program critical to Lockheed Martin’s future financial success is the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), Dain Hancock,
president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, said during a press conference here Oct. 24 announcing the
completion of the maiden flight of the firm’s JSF concept demonstrator plane, the X-35A.

“This is the single most important program given its size and length of production run,” said Hancock.

[Gatsby2]

Mal wieder ein kleiner Auftrag:

ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/contract/2000/c00-p.txt

Kirsten Larson
Headquarters, Washington, DC October 30, 2000
(Phone: [phone])

June Malone
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
(Phone: [phone])

RELEASE: C00-p

NASA AWARDS $1.15 BILLION CONTRACT FOR SHUTTLE EXTERNAL TANKS

NASA and Lockheed Martin Space Systems, of New Orleans, LA,
have completed negotiations for production of 35 additional Super
Lightweight External Tanks for the Space Shuttle Program.

The six-year contract, worth approximately $1.15 billion, includes
the manufacture, assembly, test and delivery of the Super
Lightweight Tanks and the operations and maintenance of NASA`s
Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The contract also
includes activities at NASA`s Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, AL, and Kennedy Space Center, FL.

"I am pleased with the profit structure of this contract which is
designed to assure the delivery of a quality product and to reward
the contractor and the employees on the basis of performance,"
said Jerry Smelser, manager of the External Tank Project Office at
Marshall. "In my opinion, the negotiation process has resulted in
a win-win contract. This is a major milestone for Lockheed Martin,
the External Tank Project Office, for the Center and for the Space
Shuttle Program."

This sixth production of tanks will be the first comprised totally
of Super Lightweight Tanks.
This latest version of the tank ­ which flew for the first time in
June 1998 ­ is the same size as the tank it replaces, but is about
7,500 pounds (3,401.9 kilograms) lighter. The weight reduction
allows the shuttle to carry more payload.

The Super Lightweight Tank features major changes in materials and
design. Its liquid hydrogen tank and the liquid oxygen tank are
constructed of a new aluminum lithium, which is lighter, stronger
material than the metal alloy used to manufacture previous
external tanks.

The External Tank, which holds the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid
oxygen for the shuttle¹s three main engines, is the largest single
component of the space shuttle and the only part of the shuttle
that is not reused. Standing 154 feet (46.9 meters) tall, the
gigantic rust-colored tank is taller than a 15-story building and
is as wide as a silo, with a diameter of about 27 1/2 feet (8
meters). During launch, the tank also acts as the structural
backbone for the shuttle orbiter and the attached Solid Rocket
Boosters.

The first tank of the sixth production is scheduled for delivery
to the Kennedy Space Center in 2002.

Marshall is NASA`s lead Center for development of space
transportation and propulsion systems.

- end -

[Gatsby2]

RE: Micky Mouse

Diese Meldung musste ich einfach posten. :-)) So`n Aerger, gelle? Sorry, dass ich mich nicht gemeldet
habe, aber ich war mal wieder auswaerts unterwegs.

Gruss

Gatsby

;-))

==============================================================================

Friday November 3, 1:50 pm Eastern Time

UK govt shortlists 3 in air traffic control sale

LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The British government on Friday rejected a bid by U.S.
defence contractor Raytheon Co (NYSE:RTNa - news) to participate in the partial
privatisation of the UK`s air traffic control system, shortlisting three other groups for the
tender.

Britain`s House of Lords voted last week to delay the Labour government`s plans to
part-privatise the system, but the administration has vowed to reverse the vote in the House of
Commons.

The Airline Group, comprising British Airways (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BAY.L), Virgin Atlantic [VA.UL], British
Midland [BMID.UL], Airtours Plc (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: AIR.L), Britannia [BRIT.UL], JMC, Monarch [MONA.UL]
and easyJet [EZY.UL], will go to the next stage of bidding, the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions said
in a statement.

Novares, a group led by U.S. defence contractor Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - news), Apax Partners and Airways
International Ltd, was also shortlisted as was Nimbus, a consortium comprising Serco Group Plc (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland:
SRP.L) and PPM Ventures.

The DETR also said Boeing Co (NYSE:BA - news) and Alenia Marconi Systems, a joint venture between Italy`s Finmeccanica
and Britain`s BAE Systems (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BA.L) were also still interested.

[Micky_Maus]

Hy Gatsby,

zu meiner Verwunderung wurde ich unter dem Nick Micky_Mouse von wo gesperrt, obwohl ich mir keiner Schuld bewußt bin. Vermutlich deshalb, weil ich mein Email-Postfach bei gmx gelöscht hatte. Na egal, jetzt bin ich Micky_Maus.

Zu Lockheed:
Der Schuß ging heute abend aber nach hinten los, denn wie ich sehe, ist ein sattes Minus zu verzeichnen. Raytheon hält sich noch vergleichsweise gut.

Und zu EADS:
Der Effektenspiegel des Bolko Hoffmann empfiehlt in der Ausgabe vom 2.11. jetzt Gewinne mitzunehmen verweist auf die hohen Verluste. Einzelheiten sind im EADS-Thread benannt.

Fazit: an der Börse bekommt man nicht sofort recht, aber irgendwann platzt auch die Lockheed-Blase. Und Raytheon ist noch immer niedrig bewertet.

Gruß Micky

[Gatsby2]

Wednesday November 8, 4:59 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Lockheed Martin JSF Completes First In-Flight
Refueling Mission

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) X-35A
successfully executed a series of airborne refuelings during its 10th flight on Tuesday, Nov. 7, paving the way for extended test
flights and demonstrating the aircraft`s flying qualities.

United States Air Force pilot Lt. Col. Paul Smith climbed to 23,000 feet and rendezvoused with a USAF KC-135 tanker,
performing a series of qualification tests to verify the X-35`s compatibility with the KC-135`s flow-field wake and refueling boom.
The X-35 uses an F-16-based universal aerial refueling receptacle.

Lt. Col. Smith and the KC-135 crew accomplished four refuelings during the mission, enabling the JSF to continue airborne testing
for two hours and 50 minutes. The extended flight included several handling-quality tests and an auxiliary power unit air-restart.

On Friday, Smith became the first Air Force pilot to fly the aircraft. Over the weekend, the X-35A flew at a maximum speed of
Mach .85 and climbed to 25,000 feet, as the JSF team continued an aggressive flight envelope-expansion program.

``The refueling test shows that the system works as predicted -- that we`re able to take on fuel and thereby open up the envelope,``
said Frank J. Cappuccio, vice president and program manager of the Lockheed Martin JSF. ``It`s also a testimony to the
controllability of the airplane, which continues to perform brilliantly. Everything went exactly as planned with no surprises.``

Tuesday`s refueling mission marked the 10th flight of the X-35A, which has logged a total of eight flight hours.

``We`ve experienced great success in this flight test program,`` said Harry Blot, vice president and deputy program manager of the
Lockheed Martin JSF. ``I believe that`s a direct result of the thoroughness our team devoted to system check-out tests before first
flight.``

The conventional-takeoff-and-landing (CTOL) X-35A, designed to meet Air Force specifications, is externally identical to the
short takeoff/ vertical landing (STOVL) X-35B, the U.S. Marine Corps/ British Royal Air Force and Royal Navy JSF
demonstrator. Consequently, much of the X-35A`s flight-test data -- including that from the in-flight refuelings -- will satisfy
government requirements for the X-35B.

The X-35C, a JSF carrier variant (CV) designed to meet U.S. Navy requirements, is scheduled to fly in late November or early
December. Engine-run tests already have begun on the X-35C.

Lockheed Martin, in partnership with Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC - news)and BAE SYSTEMS, is in competition to build
the JSF for the United States and United Kingdom. Government selection of a single contractor for the Engineering and
Manufacturing Development phase is set for 2001.

For information on Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT - news), visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com.

For information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, visit: http://www.lmaeronautics.com.

For government information on the Joint Strike Fighter program, visit www.jast.mil.

Corresponding photo is available at: http://www.lmaeronautics.com/image_gallery/pr_photos/index.html.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

[Gatsby2]

Thursday November 9, 4:51 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

Lockheed Martin-built IKONOS Satellite Receives
Prestigious Award by Popular Science Magazine

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 9, 2000--The IKONOS commercial remote sensing satellite, designed and
built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company for Space Imaging has received the coveted ``Best of What`s New`` Grand
Award in the Aviation & Space category from Popular Science magazine.

``Space Imaging is honored to have been chosen to receive this prestigious award,`` said John Copple, Space Imaging`s CEO. ``It`s
a tribute to our employees, and our partners Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Kodak who have developed the IKONOS system to
enable us to use satellite imagery to solve practical business problems. Receiving this recognition from such a mainstream
magazine as Popular Science is testimony that our services and products are making a difference for those who are using this
exciting new visual information technology.``

``We are proud that IKONOS has received this important recognition,`` said Ed Irvin, director of commercial remote sensing
programs for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. ``The IKONOS satellite technology is ideally suited to cost-effectively
enable high-precision earth observation and space science missions, and we are pleased to provide our customer, Space Imaging,
with the world`s first commercial one-meter resolution imaging satellite.``

Launched on Sept. 24, 1999, the IKONOS satellite is the most sophisticated remote sensing spacecraft ever operated for the
commercial market, capable of photographing objects on the ground as small as one meter. The technology is providing
high-resolution black-and-white and multispectral digital pictures and other imagery. Multispectral images reveal information that
cannot be seen with the naked eye, such as chlorophyll content, chemical composition, surface water penetration and the presence
of oil leached from the seabed. Customers will be able to combine panchromatic and multispectral images to produce images that
offer the advantages of both techniques.

Space Imaging`s IKONOS satellite was chosen as a winner from thousands of new product and technology developments
reviewed by Popular Science editors over the past year. From these many technological developments, 100 are selected for a
``Best of What`s New`` award in 10 different categories. In addition to being one of the top 100 technologies overall, IKONOS
was chosen to receive the Grand Award in the Aviation and Space category.

Earlier this year, the IKONOS satellite was also awarded The Industry Innovation Award in the Technology Category from the
Society of Space Professionals International.

The spacecraft was designed and built at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Missiles & Space Operations, in Sunnyvale,
Calif. Space Systems is a global leader in the design, development, test and production of space launch systems, ground systems,
scientific spacecraft, satellites for commercial and government customers, fleet ballistic missiles and missile defense systems.

For the complete news release by Space Imaging, please visit http://newswire.spaceimaging.com/

For images of the IKONOS satellite, please visit the URL site at: http://lmms.external.lmco.com/photos/commercial_space/

[Gatsby2]

Wer zuerst kommt, muss nicht unbedingt auch besser sein:

JSF: Boeing eyes flight today; Lockheed Martin ready for supersonic run
Boeing hopes to resume flying its X-32A Joint Strike Fighter aircraft today, following a three-week hiatus to fix a problem
involving the hydraulic system. Lockheed Martin`s X-35A, meanwhile, may make its first supersonic flight today.

Although Boeing officials were set to start flying again last Friday (DAILY, Nov. 13), the X-32A team opted to run some
additional checks and is now planning to lift off from Edwards AFB, Calif., today, weather permitting.

The flight will follow "an interim fix" to a hydraulic system problem that caused the pilot to divert to one of the dry lake beds
surrounding Edwards on Oct. 24. Company officials have declined to comment on specifics of the problem or the fix, but a
Boeing spokesman said the fix will allow the aircraft to continue its carrier variant (CV) approach tests with the gear and flaps
down.

"A permanent fix should be completed by the end of the month," he said.

So far, Boeing has flown its X-32A, designed to meet both CV and CTOL (conventional takeoff and landing) requirements, 17
times, logging about 11 flight hours since first flight on Sept. 18. Additionally, 54% of CV approach testing and 24% of overall
flight objectives have been accomplished.

Lockheed Martin, competing with Boeing in the JSF program, has completed 80% of its planned CTOL test points and has
logged 16 flights and 14.1 hours with its X-35A since first flight on Oct. 24. The company plans to fly again today, and may go
supersonic for the first time. The jet reached .98 Mach in a flight last Thursday.

On Friday, Marine Corps test pilot Maj. Art Tomasetti made his first flight in the X-35A.The plane has also been flown by U.S.
Air Force and company test pilots.

Lockheed Martin officials are also looking toward first flight of their X-35C, the carrier variant. The X-35C has already
undergone engine runs and first flight is expected before the end of the month.

- Linda de France ([e-mail])

[Gatsby2]

Und schon wieder ein Erstflug. Diesmal ist es der Mega-Jäger F-22:

Lockheed Martin - Boeing Raptor 4004 Flies for the First Time

MARIETTA, Ga., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The F-22 Program met a major milestone
today with the first flight of Raptor 4004, the first F-22 to fly with advanced avionics
hardware and integrated software aboard.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001115/ATW022 )

"Today`s flight of the initial avionics software package helps keep the F-22 program on
track for delivery of an even more advanced software package, Block 3.0, prior to the end
of the year," said Tom McDermott, manager of the F-22 program`s Avionics team.

Lockheed Martin test pilot Bret Luedke was at the controls during the 37-minute flight,
which accomplished a critical Defense Acquisition Board criterion. Raptor 4004 will
undergo additional flight testing at Marietta before joining the F-22 program`s flight test fleet
at Edwards AFB, Calif., later this year.

Prior to first flight, ground testing of Raptor 4004`s avionics was completed at Lockheed
Martin Aeronautics Company`s facilities in Marietta, Ga. LM Aero is responsible for overall
leadership of the program`s avionics team, which includes engineers from LM Aero in Fort
Worth, Texas, the Boeing Company in Seattle, Wash., and 11 major subsystem suppliers
from across the country.

Boeing is responsible for integrating the F-22`s avionics hardware and software systems at
their Avionics Integration Lab (AIL) in Seattle. The initial avionics flight test software
package, called Block 1.2, includes stores management, vehicle management system,
utilities and subsystems, radar, mission software, inertial reference system, pilot vehicle
interface and cockpit display software.

The advanced Block 3.0 software has been flight-tested aboard the Boeing Flying Test Bed
(FTB), a modified Boeing 757, since September. "It is on schedule to be delivered to
Lockheed Martin in November for a December F-22 flight," said Mike Harris, Boeing F-22
Avionics Manager. "The Block 3.0 software will allow flight testing of multi-sensor fusion
for the first time in a fighter."

As one of several criteria that must be accomplished before the Department of Defense
will authorize the Air Force to begin initial production of the F-22, the Pentagon requires the
program to fly a Raptor with Block 3.0 software aboard by the end of the year.

Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney have joined with the U.S. Air Force to
develop and produce the revolutionary F-22, which is slated to be operational in late 2005.
The world`s first stealth air-to-air fighter, the F-22 will be virtually unseen on radar, deadly
at long range and unmatched at close-in dogfighting. As a true multimission fighter, it will
also have superb, precision-strike ground attack capability. A multimode electronically
scanned radar, internal weapons carriage, vectored thrust and a sophisticated fully
integrated sensor array are only some of the revolutionary advantages that Raptor brings to
the air combat arena.

The Raptor will carry existing and planned air-to-air weapons, including a full complement
of AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM) and AIM-9
Sidewinder short-range missiles, along with an internal M61A2 Vulcan 20mm cannon.
Multimission air-to-surface weaponry includes the new GBU-32, 1,000-lb joint direct attack
munition (JDAM) for precision, all-weather attack.

The F-22 is proving itself today through a rigorous flight test program in the skies above
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and the results have been outstanding. Air Force and F-22
Contractor Team test pilots are putting the Raptor through its paces, and the aircraft,
engines and avionics will be thoroughly tested before the F-22 enters active duty

[Gatsby2]

Lockheed bekommt hoechste Zertifizierungsstufe fuer Softwarequalitaet:

Wednesday November 15, 12:53 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems

Lockheed Martin Management and Data Systems
Earns World Class Recognition For Systems
Engineering Capabilities

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems (M&DS) announced that
its Systems Integration organization has earned Systems Engineering Capability Maturity Model (SE-CMM) Level 5 ratings, the
highest level possible in the model. M&DS is the first company known to have achieved Level 5 ratings in any formal SE-CMM
assessment.

The rating was earned on a comprehensive formal assessment conducted in late October and early November. The Software
Productivity Consortium of Herndon, Va. led the team that conducted the formal assessment. M&DS achieved SE-CMM Level 5
in an unprecedented 12 process areas and a Level 4 in one additional process area. The team reviewed organization and program
specific documentation, analyzed questionnaire results, conducted interviews and verified the findings with all participants to
determine a rating in each of the thirteen process areas.

``This is an outstanding achievement by our Systems Integration group and we are delighted with the results of the evaluation,``
said Marc Hansen, president, Lockheed Martin M&DS. ``This demonstrates to our customers that they are receiving world-class
systems engineering capabilities.``

``The Lockheed Martin M&DS Systems Integration organization is the first company we`ve evaluated where such strong Level 5
systems engineering practices have been fully implemented,`` said Sarah Sheard, senior systems engineer at the Software
Productivity Consortium. ``The extent to which SE-CMM Level 5 key processes have been institutionalized demonstrates a strong
management commitment and engineering staff dedication to the continuous advancement of systems engineering capabilities.``

The following are some of the strengths noted in the review:

- Good customer focus and customer relationships.
- Good system focus: end-to-end, systems of systems, and integrated large
systems.
- Professional staff with a "passion for excellence" and long, diverse
experienced base.
- M&DS Systems Integration has world-class system engineering capability.


``Process improvement is a journey, not a destination,`` said Gregg Hamelin, vice president, Systems Integration, M&DS. ``We
must continue to enhance our metrics and use them to drive quantitative improvements in our processes.``

Management & Data Systems (https://mds.external.lmco.com) has been a leader in systems integration, systems engineering,
software development and program management in support of vital national systems for more than 30 years. M&DS is a $1.5B
unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation with approximately 7,500 employees at facilities in Pennsylvania, Arizona, California,
Colorado and the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - news; www.lockheedmartin.com) is a global enterprise
principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products
and services. The Corporation`s core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology.

The Software Productivity Consortium (www.software.org) consists of leading companies in the aerospace, defense, telecom, IT,
financial and electronic industries that pool their resources to create a community of interest dedicated to advancing the state of
systems and software engineering. By leveraging the use of Consortium technologies and processes in their development
programs, Consortium members dramatically improve their productivity, profitability, and time-to-market competitiveness.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems

[Gatsby2]

Erstaunlich, womit sich Aerospace/Defence-Unternehmen so alles befassen:

Thursday November 16, 5:07 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies

Lands` End Awards Lockheed Martin Materials
Handling Contract

Reputation For Rapid Response to Customer Requirements and Renowned Systems Integration
Expertise Paved Way For Contract Selection

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Lands` End Inc., a leading direct merchant of clothing, luggage, gifts and specialty
items for the home, selected Lockheed Martin Systems Integration -- Owego to install an automated sortation system at the
retailer`s distribution center in Dodgeville, Wis., because an 180-day or less delivery date was guaranteed.

Under the terms of the contract, the company`s Distribution Technologies business is designing, installing and integrating a system
within the 800,000-square-foot facility to handle the increasing volume of customer orders requiring value-add attention such as
monogramming and specific sizing.

The new system sorts custom orders prior to further order distribution downstream. It interfaces with a legacy warehouse
management system (WMS) and combines scanning technologies, unit sorters, integrated controls and a conveyor. The integration
of this new subsystem is underway at Lands` End`s fully operational facility during its busy 2000 holiday season, making timing and
reliability of this effort critical.

``We chose Lockheed Martin for its expertise,`` said Dan Whitnable, engineering manager at Lands` End. ``The single greatest
reason we selected the Distribution Technologies` unit was the fresh approach to concepts and professional attitude toward project
management it takes. Lockheed Martin doesn`t sell hardware, it sells cost-effective designs that use the best equipment and
software available,`` he added, commenting on the Lockheed Martin`s emphasis on design and unbiased approach to component
selection.

``Our precise approach to technologically advanced innovation and project management allows us to leverage our skills across
industries serving distribution and fulfillment center material handling projects,`` said Leo Laurendeau, business area manager for
the Distribution Technologies material handling unit. ``We are committed to delivering `smarter` solutions faster, and supply our
customers with the value-added benefit of 100 percent accountability. We execute our `More Thought ... Less Iron(TM)` slogan
on every project we touch.``

Lands` End has traditionally acted as its own general contractor, project manager and integrator purchasing parts from suppliers,
but selected Lockheed Martin`s turnkey, ``total systems`` approach for this project ``because of its size and the resources it can
draw on,`` according to Whitnable. ``We believe these resources make Lockheed Martin more capable of finishing the project on
time at a fixed cost,`` he added. ``The new system will be up and running by December. It`s being installed and integrated into our
total operation without compromising production needs of the current facility.``

About Lands` End

Lands` End, founded in Chicago by Gary C. Comer, is a global direct merchant of classically inspired clothing for men, women and
children, soft luggage and products for the home, sold through regular mailings of its monthly and specialty catalogs and via the
Web site landsend.com. Catalog Age ranked Lands` End as the 15th largest mail order company and second for apparel only, a
testimony to its large customer base. During the weeks prior to the annual December holiday season, more than 1,100 phone lines
handle more than 100,000 calls daily. Additionally, Lands` End handles 15 million calls annually.

About Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies

Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies is a total systems integrator providing turnkey material handling and automation
solutions to the distribution center, order fulfillment, air cargo and airline baggage handling, courier and postal material handling
markets. It provides customers with project planning, system layout and design, software development, equipment installation,
system integration, system maintenance, training and transition support. With facilities in Owego, N.Y., Orlando, Fla., and Tulsa,
Okla., Distribution Technologies is a business unit of Lockheed Martin`s Systems Integration -- Owego business segment. The
business segment is a leading provider of advanced technology products, services and systems integration solutions for defense,
civil government and commercial customers worldwide.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies

[Gatsby2]

Monday November 20, 8:24 pm Eastern Time

Lockheed, Boeing may split $300 bln fighter deal

By Doug Young

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Nov 20 (Reuters) - Defense giants Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT - news) and
Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - news) may split a $300 billion jet fighter contract now slated for a winner-take-all Pentagon award,
officials said on Monday.

At a media showcase of the two rival Joint Strike Fighter demonstrator models, Boeing program manager Frank Statkus said he
expected to share the award, which could grow to half a trillion dollars including foreign orders, with Lockheed.

Asked if the winner-take-all approach was likely to prevail, Statkus told Reuters: ``I don`t think so.``

Lockheed Chief Executive Vance Coffman last April said he saw the odds of a split order as ``50-50,`` but both sides have insisted they were perfectly happy to
compete head-to-head.

Spreading future military jet work among different contractors would help the Pentagon by preserving competition in an ever-shrinking pool of big defense
companies.

Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed, the world`s largest defense contractor, already controls production on the U.S. Air Force`s F-22 Raptor, a fearsome stealth jet
designed to dominate 21st Century skies, on which Seattle, Wa.-based Boeing will play a supporting role.

With mergers shrinking or eliminating many former defense contractors, the Pentagon needs to maintain some rivalry--and competitive bids--among the handful that
remain.

``You know what makes Boeing good? Lockheed. And you know what makes Lockheed good? Boeing. It`s the competition,`` said Major General Michael Hough,
Air Force JSF director.

With final proposals due from the contractors in February, Hough is still assuming the Pentagon will select one winning model--for now.

Multiple Roles Seen

``Right now, contingent on the will of Congress, my charter is to execute a winner-take-all strategy,`` Hough told Reuters. ``That`s not to say that that might not
change in the future.``

The JSF will fill multiple roles for the U.S. military and friendly overseas air forces, with up to 3,000 sold to the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marines in slightly different
versions.

Service and maintenance contracts are expected to add at least $100 billion to the contract`s value.

Defense analysts have speculated that the Pentagon, to ensure both competitors received significant JSF work, could choose the Boeing model for one service
version and Lockheed`s for another.

Statkus, Hough and Lockheed JSF manager Tom Burbage all declined to comment on specific options to divide the project.

``The official position is this is a winner-take-all program. We`re not allowed to talk to Boeing,`` Burbage told Reuters, noting that the government did broker some
limited discussions about six months ago.

Hough also played down talk that a new presidential administration beginning in January might seek cuts in the massive JSF program.

Campaign aides of George W. Bush have said the Texas Governor would review all major arms spending programs, should he win the race for the U.S. presidency.

``That`s normal. Any new administration would be smart to reevaluate the whole deal,`` Hough said.

Some U.S. legislators have questioned the wisdom of building the JSF, the Raptor and the existing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, assembled by Boeing.

[Gatsby2]

Tuesday November 21, 1:57 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

Lockheed Martin-built GE-8 satellite shipped to Kourou for December
launch

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 21, 2000--The GE-8 telecommunications satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space
Systems (LMCSS) for GE American Communications (GE Americom), was recently shipped from production facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif. to Kourou, French
Guiana, where it will be readied for a late December launch.

An all C-band satellite with 24 active transponders, GE-8 will join GE Americom`s global fleet of satellites, which provide distribution of cable, broadcast television
and radio, telecommunications services, business television and broadband data distribution throughout North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and
Asia. The spacecraft will be lifted into orbit on an Ariane-5 launch vehicle provided by Arianespace of Evry, France.

Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems markets, designs and builds geostationary and non-geostationary telecommunications and remote sensing satellites for
customers worldwide. LMCSS is an operating unit of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, one of the core business areas of the Lockheed Martin
Corporation (NYSE: LMT - news). Lockheed Martin has a 41-year heritage of building reliable spacecraft for commercial and military customers, having launched
more than 875 spacecraft and clocking nearly 1,100 years of on-orbit performance experience.

For images of the GE-8 satellite, please visit: http://lmms.external.lmco.com/photos/commercial_space/ge1.3/…

For more information on Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, see our website at: http://www.lmcommercialspace.com

[Gatsby2]

Erster Ueberschallversuch erfolgreich:

Wednesday November 22, 2:23 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Lockheed Martin JSF Goes Supersonic; Test Objectives Exceeded

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Nov. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Just 25 hours and 25
flights into its airborne test program, the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike
Fighter (JSF) X-35A broke the sound barrier on Tuesday, Nov. 21, continuing an aggressive
program of flight-envelope expansion.

Test pilot Tom Morgenfeld lifted off from Edwards Air Force Base at 4:25 p.m. (PST) and
took the X-35A to 25,000 feet altitude, achieving a speed of Mach
1.05.

``This is another example of our flight test program exceeding even our own expectations,``
said C.T. ``Tom`` Burbage, executive vice president and general
manager of the Lockheed Martin JSF program. ``All our flights have demonstrated great
performance. These results are accomplished by our team`s approach
to tackle technical challenges up front. This aircraft has allowed us to concentrate on
validating those flying characteristics that cannot be adequately proven
through modeling and simulation.``

Earlier Tuesday, on the X-35A`s 24th flight, Morgenfeld made six field carrier landing
practice demonstrations, previewing the aircraft`s low-speed carrier
approach handling qualities in advance of upcoming tests with the second demonstrator, the
X-35C. He said controllability in the carrier landing profiles was
excellent as he followed glide slope cues from a Fresnel lens on the ground.

With its flight testing complete, the X-35A, which first flew on Oct. 24, will return to
Lockheed Martin`s Palmdale, Calif., facility to be fitted with a shaft-driven
lift-fan propulsion system. It will be renamed the X-35B and will begin ground testing in
preparation for its short takeoff/ vertical landing (STOVL)
demonstrations.

``In flight-testing the X-35A, we`ve been gathering information on the STOVL X-35B model
since the up-and-away performance is the same,`` said Harry Blot,
vice president and deputy program manager for the Lockheed Martin JSF team. ``We also
have completed engine runs on the X-35C -- the Navy configuration
-- and expect it to take flight by mid-December.``

The conventional-takeoff-and-landing (CTOL) X-35A, designed to meet Air Force
specifications, is externally identical to the STOVL X-35B, the U.S. Marine
Corps/ British Royal Air Force and Royal Navy JSF demonstrator. Consequently, much of
the X-35A`s flight-test data will satisfy government requirements for
the X-35B.

``All three of these aircraft are very close representations of the planes we`re proposing for
full-scale production. When you see our flight-test data, you`re
essentially seeing data that the production aircraft would generate,`` Blot said.

Lockheed Martin, in partnership with Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC - news) and BAE
SYSTEMS, is in competition to build the JSF for the United States
and United Kingdom. Government selection of a single contractor for the Engineering and
Manufacturing Development phase is set for 2001.

For information on Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT - news), visit:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com

For information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, visit:
http://www.lmaeronautics.com

For government information on the Joint Strike Fighter program, visit www.jast.mil

Corresponding photo is available at:
http://www.lmaeronautics.com/image_gallery/pr_photos/index.html

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

[Gatsby2]

Lange erwartet, aber nun liegen endlich alle erforderlichen
Genehmigungen vor. Lockheed verkauft Sanders fuer $1,67 bln.
an BAE Systems. Ein ganz entscheidender Schritt nach vorn in
der Sanierung der Finanzen:

LOCKHEED MARTIN COMPLETES SALE OF AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS SYSTEMS BUSINESSES FOR $1.67 BILLION IN CASH

Corporation Provides Adjusted Guidance for Systems Integration Business Area; Reaffirms 2000 And Longer-Term EPS Growth Expectations

BETHESDA, Md., November 27, 2000 - Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) announced today that it has completed the sale of its Aerospace Electronics Systems businesses to BAE SYSTEMS North America, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of BAE SYSTEMS plc, Farnborough, England, for $1.67 billion in cash.

"With this transaction and the earlier sale of the Control Systems business, Lockheed Martin has generated nearly $2.2 billion in pre-tax non-operating cash during 2000 to reduce debt," said Vance D. Coffman, Lockheed Martin chairman and chief executive officer. "We are well on our way to achieving the goals we set last year when we announced plans to divest selected non-core assets to refocus the Corporation, generate cash and reduce debt. We have improved operational performance, met our financial commitments and will generate at least $1.5 billion in free cash from continuing operations during 2000, in addition to nearly $2.2 billion in pre-tax non-operating cash from divestitures. By refining our business portfolio, the divestitures also demonstrate our determination to position Lockheed Martin as a leading systems integrator committed to its core defense and aerospace customers."

Coffman added: "I thank the men and women of the Aerospace Electronics Systems businesses for their contributions to Lockheed Martin and to the U.S. government, commercial and international customers they serve so well."

Sale of the Control Systems business for $510 million on a pre-tax basis, also to BAE SYSTEMS, was completed in September 2000. Control Systems, the Aerospace Electronics Systems businesses and Lockheed Martin`s Hanford Corporation subsidiary, divested in December 1999, were among the operations identified by the Corporation as candidates for potential divestiture following a comprehensive strategic review concluded in September 1999.

The Aerospace Electronics Systems (AES) businesses reported to the Lockheed Martin Systems Integration business area, which designs, develops and integrates complex systems for global defense, civil and commercial markets. Excluding AES for the month of December 2000, Systems Integration revenues in 2000 are expected to be between $9.6 billion and $9.7 billion, with margins of approximately 9%. Excluding AES in 2001, Systems Integration revenues are projected to be between $9 billion and $9.2 billion, with margins of approximately 9%. The AES divestiture does not change the Corporation`s previous earnings outlook for 2000 of about $1.05 per diluted share, excluding non-recurring and unusual items. Diluted earnings per share in 2001 are expected to increase approximately 20 percent over the 2000 estimate, to about $1.25. The Corportion`s longer-term projection of annual earnings growth of 15% to 25% per diluted share from the 2000 base is also reaffirmed.

AES comprises the Sanders, Fairchild Systems and Space Electronics & Communications businesses with principal facilities in New Hampshire, New York and Virginia. Major AES products include aircraft self-protection systems; tactical surveillance and intelligence systems; reconnaissance and navigation systems; automated mission planning systems; microwave electronics; infrared sensors; and radiation-hardened digital components and systems for space applications. The AES businesses, with approximately 5,000 employees, had net sales for the first nine months of 2000 of approximately $510 million, excluding intercompany sales. Current backlog for the AES businesses is approximately $1.2 billion.

The AES transaction was subject to antitrust review in the United States and other jurisdictions. In addition, Lockheed Martin and BAE SYSTEMS voluntarily sought review by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation`s core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics and technology services. Lockheed Martin had 1999 sales surpassing $25 billion and employs approximately 128,000.

# # #

NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:
James Fetig, 301-897-6352
Pete Harrigan, 301-897-6171

INVESTOR CONTACTS:
James Ryan, 301-897-6584
Randa Middleton, 301-897-6455

NOTE: Statements in this press release, including the statements relating to projected future financial performance, are considered forward-looking statements under the federal securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Sometimes these statements will contain words such as "believes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "outlook," "forecast" and other similar words. These statements are not guarantees of our future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause our actual performance or achievements to be materially different from those we may project.


As for the forward-looking statements that relate to future financial results and other projections, actual results will be different due to the inherent nature of projections and may be better or worse than projected. Given these uncertainties, you should not place any reliance on these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements also represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date that they were made. We expressly disclaim a duty to provide updates to these forward-looking statements, and the estimates and assumptions associated with them, after the date of this press release to reflect events or circumstances or changes in expectations or the occurrence of anticipated events.


In addition to the factors set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov), the following factors could affect the forward-looking statements: timing and uncertainty related to obtaining regulatory approval of announced divestitures; the ability to achieve or quantify savings for our customers or ourselves through business area streamlining, staff reductions, global cost-cutting program and other financial management programs; the ability to obtain or the timing of obtaining future government awards; the availability of government funding and customer requirements; difficulties in developing and making operational advanced technology systems in space and other business areas; economic conditions; competitive environment; international business and political conditions domestically and internationally; timing of awards and contracts; timing and customer acceptance of product delivery and launches; the outcome of contingencies, including completion of any acquisitions and divestitures, litigation and environmental remediation and program performance. These are only some of the numerous factors which may affect the forward-looking statements in this press release.

[Gatsby2]

Kaum ist der Verkauf von Sanders perfekt, da beginnt Lockheed
auch schon mit dem Abbau der ausstehenden Schulden. Im Gegen-
satz zu Raytheon, die erst vor wenigen Monaten neue Securities
in den Handel gebracht haben, scheint bei LMC die Konsolidierung konsequent
voranzuschreiten.

Tuesday November 28, 5:44 pm Eastern Time

UPDATE 1 - Lockheed Martin looks to buy back $1.95
bln in debt

(UPDATE: Adds detail, background, stock activity)

BETHESDA, Md., Nov 28 (Reuters) - Defense giant Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT -
news) said Tuesday it would offer to buy up to $1.95 billion of its outstanding debt in a move to
retire substantially all of six outstanding securities issues.

Lockheed said it expects to incur a special, one-time loss during the fourth quarter due to the early extinguishment of debt. The
repurchase plan will also reduce the company`s interest expense in future periods, Lockheed noted.

The affect on future financial results will be based on how much debt is actually tendered following the offer, said Lockheed
spokesman James Fetig. As of Sept. 30, Lockheed had about $11.89 billion in total debt, according to federal filings.

Fetig noted Lockheed`s debt buyback plan is in line with debt reduction goals laid out more than a year ago.

Lockheed plans to use its available cash and part of the $1.67 billion in proceeds from the recent sale of its Aerospace Electronics
Systems business to finance the debt purchase.

The tender offers include outstanding notes issued by Martin Marietta Corp. and Loral Corp., which previously merged into
Lockheed, along with notes issued by Lockheed itself. Each tender offer will start Tuesday and expire Friday, Dec. 8 unless
extended or terminated early.

The offers are to buy back the outstanding 9 percent notes due 2003 that were originally issued by Martin Marietta, the 7.45
percent notes due 2004 issued by Lockheed, the 7.625 percent senior notes due 2004 issued by Loral, the 7.95 percent notes due
2005 issued by Lockheed, the 9 percent notes due 2022 issued by Lockheed and the 9.125 percent senior debentures due 2002
issued by Loral.

Shares of Lockheed closed Tuesday at $33.80, off a year high of $37.11 but up from a low of $16.50.

[Gatsby2]

Kleine Order fuer das Sorgenkind:

Denmark Orders Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules for New Airlift Fleet

VAERLOSE, Denmark, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- In a signing ceremony today at Air Material Command Headquarters, Vaerlose Air Base, the Royal Danish Air
Force ordered three Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules tactical transport aircraft. The order also includes an option for a fourth. The aircraft will be `stretched`
configuration C-130J-30s, equipped with an enhanced cargo handling system and a comprehensive integrated electronic warfare system. The aircraft are scheduled
for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2003. In addition, the order contains options for an accompanying logistics goods and services package.

The new C-130J-30s will greatly increase Denmark`s airlift capability, as the new Hercules is capable of greater range and payload. ``This order brings to 99 the
number of C-130Js selected by air forces around the world,`` said Dain M. Hancock, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. ``The C- 130J is
becoming the new generation airlifter of choice for tactical missions and, with the stretched J-30 variant, even strategic operations. The C-130J`s amazing
performance and ease of operation make it a true force multiplier for any operator.``

The Danish Air Force currently operates three C-130H Hercules, which it acquired in 1975. The C-130Js will be operated by the 721 Transport Squadron at
Vaerlose Air Base and will not only support national interests of Denmark, but continue to provide air mobility in support of worldwide humanitarian and relief
missions.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company is a leader in the design, development, systems integration, production and support of advanced military aircraft and related
technologies. Its customers include the military services of the United States and allied countries throughout the world. Products include the F-16, F-22, C-130J,
F-117, U-2, X-33 and Joint Strike Fighter, among other renowned aircraft.

LM Aeronautics is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT - news). Lockheed Martin is headquartered in Bethesda, Md., and is a global enterprise
principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The corporation`s
core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology services.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Corporation

[Gatsby2]

Von solchen Zertifizierungen kann Microsoft nur traeumen:

Monday December 4, 9:14 am Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems

Lockheed Martin Management and Data Systems Earns A World Class
Rating for Its Software Engineering Processes

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems (M&DS) announced today that it has achieved the prestigious
Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Level 5 certification, following a comprehensive assessment of its software engineering processes. This is the
highest rating for a company`s software development capability.

Less than three percent of the software companies in the world have defined, institutionalized, quantitatively managed and optimized a standard software process
warranting a SEI Level 5 recognition. M&DS joins four other Lockheed Martin companies assessed at Level 5. In fact, Lockheed Martin has more high-maturity
software development organizations than any other Corporation in the world.

``This is an outstanding achievement by our employees and it is an exciting milestone for our business,`` said Marc Hansen, president, Lockheed Martin M&DS.
``This demonstrates to our customers that we are committed to delivering world-class software products and it helps distinguish M&DS in the Information
Technology marketplace.``

The software assessment standard was developed by SEI at Carnegie Mellon University. The standard, called the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) for Software,
provides a framework for organizing continuous process improvement into five capability levels. For Level 5, M&DS had to satisfy 316 requirements including
comprehensive review of procedures, processes and project documents, followed by a series of intensive interviews with numerous employees and management
personnel.

The SEI assessment was conducted by a team led by PSINet, a professional technical services firm with an in-depth perspective on what is required to leverage
technology, build infrastructure, achieve reuse, increase productivity and improve quality across the business.

The Software Engineering Institute is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and operated by
Carnegie Mellon University. Recognizing the increasingly critical role software played in its systems, the DoD established the Institute to advance the practice of
software engineering to ensure software is produced on schedule, on budget and is of the highest quality.

Management & Data Systems, headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, (https://mds.external.lmco.com) has been a leader in systems integration, systems
engineering, software development and program management in support of vital national systems for more than 30 years. M&DS is a $1.5B unit of Lockheed Martin
Corporation with approximately 7,500 employees at facilities in Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, Colorado and the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - news; www.lockheedmartin.com) is a global enterprise principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced- technology systems, products and services. The Corporation`s core businesses are systems
integration, space, aeronautics, and technology.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems

[Gatsby2]

Und hier mal wieder eine Nachricht zu dem wohl interessantesten Geschaeftszweig von LMT, von dem man im kommenden Jahr noch einiges mehr hoeren duerfte:
Monday December 4, 10:02 am Eastern Time

Press Release

COMSAT Mobile Communications to Provide Internet Access Systems
Aboard Cunard & Seabourn Cruise Ships

Passengers and Crew Will Have Easy Access to E-mail and Internet with Simplified Billing

BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 2000-- COMSAT Mobile Communications (CMC), a business unit of Lockheed Martin Global
Telecommunications (LMGT), today announced a 3-year agreement to provide global Internet access systems to six Cunard Line and Seabourn Line ships.

The ships include the Cunard liners Queen Elizabeth 2 and Caronia, and the Seabourn ships Seabourn Sun, Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit and Seabourn Legend.
Equipment is currently being installed and full service for passengers and crew will begin on board all ships in the near future.

Under the terms of the agreement, CMC is supplying 128 kbps C-Band and Internet access for each of the six ships and will permit simultaneous transmission of
large amounts of data for Web browsing. The systems being installed provide one of the most advanced shipboard satellite communications solutions available today
with the highest reliability in the industry.

This solution increases onboard communications capacity and provides automated high-speed Internet access so both passengers and crew have greater access to
e-mail to keep in touch with home, family, friends and the office.

Passengers and crew can use the online services to obtain financial information and view e-commerce sites. Passengers and crew can also access the Cunard and
Seabourn homepages that deliver free information about daily activities and services offered onboard.

``A growing percentage of our guests have made e-mail and the Internet a part of their lives,`` said Larry Pimentel, president and CEO of Cunard Line Limited.

``They are coming to expect connectivity in the hotels, resorts and other sites where they vacation. Our investment in Internet technology to provide this access at sea
is just another aspect of our commitment to fulfill or exceed our customers` expectations.``

``COMSAT Mobile Communications makes it possible for Cunard Line and Seabourn Line to offer economical, high-quality, and reliable communications,`` said
Kathryn Y. Holman, vice president and general manager of COMSAT Mobile Communications.

``Our services improve the efficiency of ship operations and are designed to offer both passengers and crew the ability to stay in touch with people around the globe.
Regardless of where the ships are sailing, users can easily connect with the World Wide Web.``

Another key feature to this service agreement is simplified billing. The system`s flexible billing platforms give passengers the ability to use their onboard identity card to
apply Internet usage charges to their ship portfolio or to a major credit card. The feature makes billing and payment simple and easy to understand.

Cunard Cruise Line and Seabourn Cruise Line are operated by Cunard Line Limited, a unit of Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL - news). Cunard Line`s fleet
consists of the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Caronia.

Seabourn Cruise Line operates three, all-suite sister ships: Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit and Seabourn Legend, as well as Seabourn Sun and Seabourn Goddess
I & II. For information see a travel agent or call Cunard Line Limited at +1 800 7CUNARD or [phone]. Visit the website www.cunard.com and
www.seabourn.com.

COMSAT Mobile Communications provides maritime, aeronautical and land mobile satellite services to customers around the world via the Inmarsat satellite system.

LMGT, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT - news), is a premier global provider of network services and advanced
technology solutions to enterprise customers. LMGT is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland and includes the satellite, network and product assets of the former
COMSAT Corporation and the Integrated Business Solutions unit of Lockheed Martin.

LMGT has major operations in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Clarksburg, Maryland; Orlando, Florida; Santa Paula, California; and Southbury, Connecticut.

LMGT has regional offices in Santa Clara, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Reston, Virginia; and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. International operations are located in
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Russia, Singapore, Sweden,
Turkey and Venezuela.

Contact:

COMSAT Mobile Communications/LMGT
Thomas Surface, 301/214-3419
[e-mail]

[Gatsby2]

Tuesday December 5, 4:55 pm Eastern Time

U.S. agency joins discrimination suit against Lockheed

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
said Tuesday it was seeking to join two class action lawsuits alleging racial harrassment and
discrimination by Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT - news), the biggest U.S. military
contractor.

Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed said it was disappointed the commission, which had been
involved in efforts to reconcile the parties, had chosen to intervene.

``We remain committed to vigorously defend the company against these baseless allegations,`` said Sam Grizzle, a spokesman for
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.

The suits, brought in Atlanta on behalf of hundreds of black employees, charge Lockheed harassed black workers, denied them
deserved promotions and retaliated against them for complaining about alleged discrimination.

Lockheed subjected employees to ``egregious and widespread harassment`` in a racially hostile work environment, the commission
asserted in asking the U.S. District Court in Atlanta to join.

``Our presence in the case will ensure that appropriate injunctive relief is fashioned to correct past discrimination and prevent
future discriminatory conduct,`` Commission chairwoman Ida Castro said in a statement.

[Gatsby2]

Manchmal schlaeft die PR-Abteilung von LMC schon ein wenig. Statt fuer die Dinger den vollen Preis zu fordern, haetten sie besser ein oder zwei Million nachlassen, und dafuer ihr Logo draufziehen sollen. :-))

Thursday December 7, 3:37 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

International Space Station Solar Arrays Fully
Unfurled and Tensioned Following Spacewalk Repair

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 7, 2000--Both International Space Station (ISS) solar array wings, built at
Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, have been fully unfurled and tensioned following a spacewalk this morning by
shuttle astronauts Joe Tanner and Carlos Noriega. The astronauts successfully repositioned tensioning wires on the starboard solar
array that was deployed on Sunday, December 3, 2000. The wires slipped from their reels during the initial deployment.

Procedures to effect the repair were developed by the Lockheed Martin solar array team in consultation with NASA astronauts
who traveled here to examine identical flight hardware, which will be delivered to the International Space Station on an upcoming
shuttle mission. The astronauts here practiced the procedure on a deployed solar array blanket and found it satisfactory. It was
further simulated and practiced by astronauts in a massive pool, called the Neutral Bouyancy Laboratory, at the Johnson Space
Center in Houston.

``The whole team is absolutely delighted to see that the final tensioning procedures worked just as we believed they would,`` said
Sid Bourgeois, Lockheed Martin International Space Station program manager. ``We look forward to continuing work here on
getting the remaining six solar array wings ready for flight.``

The first of four pairs of massive solar arrays for the International Space Station, were launched aboard the space shuttle
Endeavour to the International Space Station on November 30, 2000. Subsequent pairs of arrays will be delivered on shuttle flights
currently scheduled for 2002, 2003, and 2006.

The functional testing of the solar array flight hardware has involved several extension and retraction cycles of the 107-foot
deployment mast and solar array blankets. Additionally, all individual solar panel circuits have been flash-tested with simulated
sunlight to verify output power. Further, a close inspection has ensured that individual solar cells can withstand the harsh
environment of space while converting sunlight into electricity. Arrays have also been exposed to harsh vacuum and thermal
environments that simulate conditions 200 miles above the Earth`s surface, and tested further in an acoustic chamber to simulate
the violent shaking vibrations that accompany launch aboard the Space Shuttle. The technology has already been flight proven in a
demonstration prototype solar array replacement flown by NASA and Space Systems on the Russian MIR space station.

The Space Systems ISS solar arrays are the largest deployable space structure ever built and will be by far, the most powerful
electricity-producing arrays ever put into orbit. When the Station is completed a total of eight flexible, deployable solar array wings
will generate the reliable, continuous power for the on-orbit operation of the ISS systems. The eight array wings were designed
and built under a $450 million contract from the Boeing-Rocketdyne Division in Canoga Park, Calif., for delivery to the Boeing
Company and NASA.

Each of the eight wings consists of a mast assembly and two solar array blankets. Each blanket has 84 panels, of which 82 are
populated with solar cells. Each panel contains 200 solar cells. The eight photovoltaic arrays thus accommodate a total of 262,400
solar cells. When fully deployed in space, the active area of the eight wings, each 107 by 38-feet, will encompass an area of
32,528-sq. ft., and will provide power to the ISS for 15 years.

In addition to the arrays, Space Systems in Sunnyvale has also designed and built other elements for the Space Station that will be
launched on future shuttle missions. Rotary mechanical joints for the ISS will move the solar arrays and thermal radiators into
positions relative to the Sun that will optimize their individual functions. These mechanical joints are the largest mechanisms ever
designed to operate in a space environment.

The two Solar Alpha Rotary Joints (SARJ) are each 10.5 ft diameter and 40 inches long. Their purpose is to maintain the solar
arrays in an optimal orientation to the Sun while the entire Space Station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes. Drive motors in
each SARJ will move the arrays through 360 degrees of motion at four degrees per minute.

The Thermal Radiator Rotary Joints (TRRJ) are each five and a half feet long and three feet in diameter. Their purpose is to
maintain the Space Station thermal radiators in an edge-on orientation to the sun that maximizes the dissipation of heat from the
radiators.

Space Systems has also produced the Trace Contaminant Control System, an advanced air processing and filtering system that
will ensure that over 200 various trace chemical contaminants, generated from material off-gassing and metabolic functions in the
Space Station atmosphere, remain within allowable concentration levels. It will become an integral part of the Space Station`s
Cabin Air Revitalization Subsystem.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, CA, is a leading supplier of satellites and space systems to military, civil
government and commercial communications organizations around the world. These spacecraft and systems have enhanced
military and commercial communications; provided new and timely remote-sensing information; and furnished new data for
thousands of scientists studying our planet and the universe.

Hi- and low-resolution electronic images of an ISS solar array blanket at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale are
available at: http://lmms.external.lmco.com/photos/civil_space/space_station/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">http://lmms.external.lmco.com/photos/civil_space/space_station/ space.stat.html

For more information about Lockheed Martin Space Systems-Sunnyvale, see our website at http://lmms.external.lmco.com

Contact:

Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Buddy Nelson, 510/797-0349
[e-mail]

[Gatsby2]

Saturday December 9, 2:38 pm Eastern Time

Lockheed Corp. To Pay $5M in Suit

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) -- Lockheed Martin Corp. will pay $5 million to settle a lawsuit by
more than 300 Burbank residents who claimed they got sick from toxic chemicals released
during decades of manufacturing.

Superior Court Judge Carl J. West gave final approval to the settlement on Friday, calling it ``a reasonable and fair settlement.``

The defense contractor has already paid $93 million to settle claims by thousands of other residents and former workers who also
said they were sickened by the manufacturing byproducts that allegedly contaminated air, soil and ground water.

But the company has never admitted that anyone was harmed by toxins, including hexavalent chromium, or chromium 6, that were
released in Burbank.

The settlement includes about 200 claims awaiting trial in state court, plus 140 claims dismissed earlier this year due to lack of
evidence. Attorney Thomas G. Foley Jr. said he hasn`t determined how much each of his clients will receive after legal costs and
lawyers` fees.

A spokeswoman for Lockheed Martin, Gail E. Rymer, said she was pleased with the outcome.

``We feel that the system works,`` she said.

But some plaintiffs said they`d hoped for a larger settlement. Lynnell Murray-Madrid asked that she and her sister be excluded
from the settlement to pursue individual claims.

``Our illnesses are directly linked to those chemicals,`` she told the judge. ``We lived near Lockheed our entire lifetime, and most of
all, we want to see that Lockheed Martin is held accountable for their actions.``

[Gatsby2]

Monday December 11, 1:05 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Lockheed Martin Delivers Final C-130J to Maryland Air National Guard

MARIETTA, Ga., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company has delivered the last of eight C-130Js that were scheduled for delivery to the
Maryland Air National Guard`s 135th Airlift Group. The 135th, which is part of the Middle River, Md.-based 175th Wing, was re-formed last year, and is the first
Air National Guard unit in the nation to receive the world`s newest airlifter.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001211/ATM017 )

Maj. Gen. James F. Fretterd, the Adjutant General of Maryland, said, ``Delivery of the final C-130J represents the culmination of several years of hard work by
many parties, including Maryland`s Congressional delegation and senior Air Force and National Guard Bureau leadership. As a result, I`m proud to report that the
future of the Maryland Air National Guard`s airlift community is secure.``

The Maryland Air National Guard`s 135th Airlift Group supports a number of worldwide missions, including troop and armament delivery on rugged landing strips to
emergency evacuation and humanitarian relief services. The greatly improved performance of the C-130J, with its increases in range, speed and payload, makes the
Maryland Air National Guard unit an invaluable part of the U.S. airlift force structure.

``We are very proud of our Hercules, and to see the first airlift group in the U.S. Air Force with its full complement of Js is a great feeling,`` said Ross Reynolds,
Lockheed Martin C-130J program vice president. ``We are seeing more and more C-130J operators around the world beginning to fully utilize their aircraft, and it
truly is the beginning of a new era in airlift.``

Maj. Gen. Bruce F. Tuxill, Maryland`s Assistant Adjutant General - Air, added, ``Selection as the first Air National Guard unit in the country to receive the C-130J
demonstrates the high value the U.S. Air Force places on the men and women of the Maryland Air National Guard.`` He added, ``We are eager to demonstrate to all
of those who fought so hard to bring this state- of-art aircraft to Maryland that we are up to all of the challenges that lie ahead.``

The Maryland Air National Guard is comprised of the State Headquarters and the 175th Wing with its two flying units -- the 104th Fighter Squadron and the 135th
Airlift Group -- and their support staffs. Nearly 2,000 full-time and traditional members are employed by the Maryland ANG, contributing nearly $80 million dollars
annually to the state`s economy.

The Air National Guard represents more than one-third of the total U.S. Air Force`s total structure. Under the Total Force Policy, the Air National Guard, the Air
Force Reserve and the active U.S. Air Force are full partners in protecting the United States and its interests at home and abroad.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company is a leader in the design, development, systems integration, production and support of advanced military aircraft and related
technologies. Its customers include the military services of the United States and allied countries throughout the world. Products include the F-16, F-22, C-130J,
F-117, U-2, and Joint Strike Fighter, among other renowned aircraft.

LM Aeronautics is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT - news). Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise
principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The corporation`s
core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology services.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

[Gatsby2]

Monday December 11, 5:08 pm Eastern Time

Boeing asks U.S. offset fighter contract delay

By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - news) called on the U.S.
government Monday to pay millions of dollars to offset a delay in awarding the Pentagon`s
biggest potential contract ever, the $200 billion-plus Joint Strike Fighter warplane.

``I could see a plan where I`d need less than $6 million a month`` to hold together the core,
400-person Boeing team working on the project pending the award, said Frank Statkus, vice
president and general manager of the Boeing program.

Boeing is competing with Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - news) for the production phase of the contract -- now projected at
3,000 multi-service U.S. and 2,000 to 3,000 international aircraft.

In a quarterly update on Boeing`s progress, Statkus said the government should be ready to accept a ``cost burden`` for postponing
the winner-take-all contract to September 2001.

A Boeing official, speaking privately, said the company was seeking less than $6 million a month for about six months starting from
what he said was an originally projected March award.

Boeing expects a decision on its ``bridge money`` request in the next few weeks, Statkus told reporters in a teleconference.

``We`d like to see it before the end of the year,`` he added. Lockheed Martin probably would get a like sum of any such ``bridge
money`` because it was in the same position, another Boeing official said.

A spokeswoman for the Pentagon`s Joint Strike Fighter program office did not return a phone call seeking comment, nor did a
spokeswoman for Lockheed Martin.

Boeing and Lockheed were awarded twin $660 million contracts in November 1996 for the 51-month ``concept demonstration``
phase of the project.

The competitors each have completed successful flights of some prototypes. The program aims to build a single family of aircraft
to replace a host of fighters beginning in 2008.

Boeing`s X-32A demonstrator is being used to show handling qualities required by the Navy for carrier landings, and by the Air
Force for multi-role fighter-bomber missions.

Test data from simulated carrier landings on the ground came within 0.4 percent of matching Boeing`s approach speed predictions
across the entire range of aircraft weights, Statkus said.

``That`s better than we`ve ever done before,`` he said.

[Gatsby2]

Lockheed Martin Corp., Missile and Fire Control-Dallas, Grand Prairie, Texas, is being
awarded a $20,475,000 modification to firm-fixed-price contract DAAH01-98-C-0093, to
exercise the option for 30 Army Tactical Missile Systems, Block I Foreign Military Sales,
Variant Guided missile and Launching Assemblies for the country of Bahrain. Work will be
performed in Dallas, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2002. Contract
funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract
initiated on Sept. 12, 1996. The U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, Redstone
Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity.

[Gatsby2]

Thursday December 14, 11:43 am Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control - Dallas

Lockheed Martin`s Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Rocket
Successful In White Sands Test

DALLAS, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control - Dallas successfully tested
the new Guided version of the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) rocket yesterday at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

The missile, which flew a ballistic trajectory, was launched from an MLRS M270 launcher. The missile was equipped with a mass simulator in lieu of a guidance
package. All test objectives were successfully achieved. The Guided MLRS rocket program is an international cooperative program between the U.S., U.K., Italy,
France and Germany.

``The purpose of this test was to evaluate several components of the Guided MLRS Rocket in a ballistic trajectory flight,`` said Ron Abbott, vice president - Fire
Support for Missiles and Fire Control. ``We evaluated how the rocket exited the pod and how the motor performed; and although we did not use a guidance
package, we gained a lot of valuable data from this test.``

The Guided MLRS rocket incorporates global positioning system (GPS)-aided inertial guidance package integrated on a product-improved rocket body.
Additionally, small canards on the Guided rocket nose will add basic maneuverability to further enhance the accuracy of the system. Guided MLRS initial operational
capability is scheduled for FY`04.

Guided MLRS is the next major step in the evolution of the MLRS Family of Munitions, offering advanced capabilities, reduced logistics support and precision
attack. The rocket will have a range of approximately 60 kilometers.

Located in Dallas, Orlando, Florida, and Sunnyvale, Calif., Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control develops, manufactures and supports advanced combat,
missile, rocket and space systems. The company is organized in seven program/mission areas: Strike Weapons, Air Defense, Anti-Armor, Naval Munitions, Fire
Control and Sensors, Fire Support and Product Development.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - news) is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development,
manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation`s core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics,
and technology services.

For additional information on Lockheed Martin Corporation, visit our Web site: www.lockheedmartin.com.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control - Dallas

[Gatsby2]

Thursday December 14, 4:18 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Lockheed Martin Demonstrates Resin Transfer
Molding Technology in Advanced Fighter Vertical Tail
Project

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company successfully demonstrated use of an
advanced resin transfer molding (RTM) process to fabricate a unitized component for an advanced fighter aircraft. The
all-composite component selected resembles the vertical tail of the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter.

The RTM vertical tail project began in the fall of 1998 and was one of many structural projects conducted under Lockheed Martin
Aeronautics` Advanced Affordability Initiative (AAI). AAI was initiated in 1997 to demonstrate advanced material, designs and
manufacturing technologies that will significantly reduce cost of aircraft components for the next generation of combat aircraft.

Compared to traditional designs, the unitized tail structure was cured in a press as a single component. The RTM process reduced
the part count from 13 to one and eliminated more than 1,000 fasteners. The corresponding manufacturing costs are reduced by
more than 60 percent.

The project also demonstrated that modeling of the resin flow can accurately identify preferred injection sites and sequences to
assure proper impregnation throughout the component. Using the optimum model prediction resulted in complete mold filling, i.e.,
no dry spots and significant benefits to quality and production cost.

The vertical tail is one of the largest and most complex composite components ever produced using the RTM process. The tail
measures 12 feet along the leading edge and weighs almost 200 pounds. The skins are composed of more than 100 plies and vary
in thickness by a factor of four from root to tip. Fourteen unique, complex mandrels having continuously variable cross sections
were over-braided to create the internal structure.

``This RTM demonstration is a major step forward in advancing the producibility of complex, composite aircraft components,`` said
Kenneth Taylor, director of the Advanced Affordability Initiative at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. ``We are beginning to
capitalize on the performance advantages of composite materials at costs that rival traditional metallic designs. These advances in
composites are providing us confidence in our ability to affordably produce the next generation of fighters.``

The following team members made significant contributions to the project:
-- Air Force Research Laboratory and University of Dayton Research
Institute -- assisted in modeling to predict resin flow patterns in
mold filling.
-- Cytec Fiberite -- supplied the BMI resin and graphite fabric material.
-- A&P Technology -- provided complex, computer-controlled custom
braiding over machined mandrels.
-- North Coast Tool and Mold -- provided the 10-ton steel and aluminum
mold and the injection restraint fixture.
-- Radius Engineering -- provided the computer-controlled resin injection
system.


Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company is a leader in the design, development, systems integration, production and support of
advanced military aircraft and related technologies. Its customers include the military services of the United States and allied
countries throughout the world. Products include the F-22, F-16, F-117, C-5, C-27J, C-130, P-3, U-2, X-33 and Joint Strike Fighter,
among other renowned aircraft.

LM Aeronautics is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT - news), headquartered in Bethesda, Md. Lockheed Martin is a
global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology
systems, products and services. The corporation`s core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics and technology
services.

For information on Lockheed Martin Corporation, visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com

For information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, visit: http://www.lmaeronautics.com

Corresponding photo is available at: http://www.lmaeronautics.com/image_gallery/pr_photos/index.html

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

[Gatsby2]

Neues zum JSF: Morgen ist der Erstflug der Traegerversion.

FIRST FLIGHT OF X-35C TOMORROW: Lockheed Martin`s X-35C Joint Strike Fighter carrier variant (CV) is slated to make its first flight on Saturday morning, a company spokeswoman said. The flight, from Palmdale, Calif., to nearby Edwards AFB, will take about 30 minutes, she said. Company test pilot Joe Sweeney, a former U.S. Navy pilot, will be at the controls. He will "cycle the landing gear [and] perform aircraft flying qualities evaluations, including rolls, sideslips and overall system checks," the spokeswoman said. The final taxi test in preparation for Saturday`s flight, she said, was completed yesterday.
Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin has begun converting the X-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft, which wrapped up its flight test program on Nov. 22, to the X-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) version. Installation of ducting and modifications to accommodate the new propulsion system has begun at Palmdale on the X-35B, while the shaft-driven lift fan continues to meet testing expectations.
(Aerospace Daily)

[Gatsby2]

Und das war`s auch schon. Nach 27 Minuten Transferflug zum Testzentrum hatte die Traegerversion des Lockheed Martin JSF (X-35C) den Erstflug hinter sich:

Saturday December 16, 3:45 pm Eastern Time

Lockheed flies Navy version of new warplane

By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT - news) flew the
Navy version of a proposed Joint Strike Fighter warplane on Saturday in a contest with Boeing
(NYSE:BA - news) that could be worth $300 billion for the biggest Pentagon contract ever.

After what the test pilot called a ``very smooth`` 27-minute, maiden flight in the California
desert, Lockheed officials said they were ready for a program review promised by aides to
President-elect George W. Bush.

``We`re anxious to get on with the process of working the politics of the program`` as well as demonstrating a highly common
family of aircraft to meet multi-service needs, said Lockheed`s executive vice president and program manager, Tom Burbage.

``The future will play out the way the future plays out,`` he added in a conference call with reporters, referring to whether the
program will survive as currently conceived.

The Joint Strike Fighter program aims to meet the special requirements of each military service with a single family of aircraft
sharing an 80 percent identical structure, including the same fuselage and internal weapons bay. A new fighter plane is due to
enter service in 2008.

Under cloudless skies, Lockheed`s X-35C model took off from a test facility in Palmdale, California. It climbed to 10,000 feet
(3,000 metres) at speeds up to 250 knots (288 mph) before touching down at nearby Edwards Air Force Base, Lockheed, the
Pentagon`s No. 1 supplier, said.

During the flight, test pilot Joe Sweeney said he raised and lowered the landing gear and carried out rolls, sideslips and overall
systems checks.

The Navy version, with larger wing and control surfaces for carrier landings, was the second of Lockheed`s joint strike fighter
``technology demonstrators`` to fly.

The first, the X-35A, demonstrated standard takeoff and landing capabilities required by the Air Force. It wrapped up its flight-test
program on Nov. 22.

A third variant, a lift fan-equipped X-35B, is scheduled to begin vertical-flight testing in February, deputy program manager Harry
Blot said.

The joint strike fighter ``is the single most important new business program we are pursuing at this moment,`` Dain Hancock,
president of Lockheed Martin`s Aeronautics unit, told reporters after the X-35 A`s initial flight on Oct. 24.

AIRCRAFT CARRIER HANDLING CAPABILITIES

Boeing Co.`s rival X-32A is demonstrating, with a single aircraft, both aircraft carrier handling capabilities for the Navy and
conventional takeoff-and-landing.

On Dec. 2, Boeing`s X-32A wound up demonstrating all of the military`s requirements for the Navy version of the aircraft,
including low-speed handling and aircraft carrier approach performance, Boeing said this week.

Starting in 2008, the multi-service joint strike fighter is designed to replace a host of U.S. and British warplanes, including the
Harrier, A-10, F-14, F-16 and F/A-18.

The winner would build three separate versions, including one capable of short takeoff and vertical landing for the U.S. Marines,
British Navy and U.S. Air Force.

The aircraft being test-flown in the California desert are designed to demonstrate capabilities to meet the different needs of the
Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.

The Defense Department is scheduled to pick a winner around Oct. 1 2001 for the next phase of the contest to produce as many
as 3,000 multi-service U.S. aircraft and 2,000 to 3,000 for projected overseas buyers.

Bush aides have said the new administration will review the project, along with all other U.S. military aircraft programs, before
deciding whether to go ahead with any production.

The relatively weak support for the program in Congress as well as among the armed forces other than the Marines, could stretch
out any future Pentagon purchase considerably, according to Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute, an
Arlington, Virginia, research firm.

[Gatsby2]

An der Wallstreet gab es heute ja recht wenig zu lachen (schoenen Dank, Mr. Greenspam), aber zumindestens von Lockheed gab es gute Nachrichten. Gegen Ende des Jahres duerften die Schulden im Vergleich zum Vorjahr um rund 20% reduziert sein. Hierdurch werden sich die Zinszahlungen um voraussichtlich $150 Mio. jährlich verringern, womit sich der free cash-flow (ein wesentliches Kriterium zur Bewertung von Verteidigungswerten) significant erhoeht.

Subject:
Lockheed Martin Corporation Completes Debt Tender Offer
Date:
Tue, 19 Dec 2000 15:11:49 -0500
From:
newsdesk@
CC:
recipient list not shown: ;





Lockheed Martin Corporation Completes Debt Tender Offer

Approximately $1.9 Billion of Debt Securities Purchased

BETHESDA, MD, December 19, 2000 - Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) announced today that it had purchased approximately $1.9 billion in principal amount of six of its outstanding debt issues. Securities were tendered under the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the November 28, 2000 Offer to Purchase up to $1.95 billion in principal amount of the six debt issues. The tender offer expired at 5 p.m. December 8, 2000. The tender offer also was announced in a Lockheed Martin press release dated November 28, 2000.

The retirement of the approximately $1.9 billion of outstanding debt securities tendered will result in a nonrecurring and unusual after-tax charge on early extinguishment of debt of approximately $95 million for Lockheed Martin in the fourth quarter of 2000 and is expected to reduce Lockheed Martin`s annualized pretax interest expense by approximately $150 million, going forward.

Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation served as Dealer Manager for the tender offers.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. Lockheed Martin`s core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics and technology services. Lockheed Martin had 1999 sales surpassing $25 billion.

# # #

News Media Contact:
Hugh Burns,

Investor Contacts:
James R. Ryan,



LOCKHEED MARTIN SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT: Statements in this press release are considered forward-looking statements under the federal securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the statements relating to projected future financial performance. Sometimes these statements will contain words such as "believes," "expects," "intends," "plans" and other similar words. These statements are not guarantees of our future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause our actual performance or achievements to be materially different from those we may project. Some of the factors which may affect the forward-looking statements in this press release include the Corporation`s future cash flows and borrowing needs, operating performance and future interest rates, the political and economic climate domestically and internationally and other general economic, financial and market conditions. In addition, our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (http://www.sec.gov), set forth factors which could affect the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. These are only some of the many factors which may affect the forward-looking statements in this press release.

[Gatsby2]

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control - Dallas

Lockheed Martin Receives $119.5 Million Contract for Multiple Launch
Rocket System Launchers

DALLAS, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control - Dallas has received a Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP-4) contract for 66
Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) M270A1 launchers. The contract value is $119.5 million.

The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) is the contracting agency. Delivery of the launchers is expected to be completed in calendar year `04.

The MLRS M270A1 launcher incorporates a variety of enhancements to the MLRS M270 launcher, including a new Improved Fire Control System (IFCS) and
Improved Launcher Mechanical System (ILMS).

The IFCS and ILMS programs merged in 1998 into the M270A1 program. The IFCS upgrade includes a new fire control panel with video, a full keyboard, a mass
storage device and GPS navigation. With distributed multi-processor technology incorporated, the IFCS will be able to process large blocks of data from new smart
munitions within tactical timelines. Operating and maintenance costs will be reduced up to 38 percent because of greater reliability and ease of repair on IFCS parts.
The IFCS upgrade also supports the Army`s Corps digitization requirements, and will allow for future MLRS growth options.

ILMS dramatically reduces the time needed to aim and reload the launcher. In a typical fire mission, the ILMS-equipped launcher is six times faster than the current
M270 launcher. Reload time is decreased by more than 30 percent. Crew and launcher survivability will be greatly enhanced because total exposure time on the
battlefield will be significantly reduced.

The original LRIP contract for 21 M270A1s was awarded in 1998, with a follow-on LRIP-2 contract for 24 launchers in 1999. The first M270A1 launcher was
delivered to the Army in May 2000. The Army will equip its first active unit with M270A1s in September 2001

MLRS is the world`s most formidable rocket and missile artillery system. Its surface-to-surface ballistic rockets have a range of 28 miles (45 kilometers). A single
MLRS launcher can put more than two tons of destructive firepower on a target in one minute and its full load of 12 rockets can cover 30 to 60 acres with thousands
of grenade-like submunitions. Each of the submunitions in an MLRS rocket has about the same destructive power as a hand grenade and contains a shaped charge
that allows it to penetrate light armor.

MLRS launchers and rockets are now in the inventories of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Bahrain, Japan, Norway, Denmark, South
Korea, Israel, Turkey and Greece.

Located in Dallas, Tex.; Orlando, Fla.; and Sunnyvale, Calif., Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control develops, manufactures and supports advanced combat,
missile, rocket and space systems. The company is organized in seven program/mission areas: Strike Weapons, Air Defense, Anti-Armor, Naval Munitions, Fire
Control and Sensors, Fire Support and Product Development.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - news) is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development,
manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation`s core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics,
and technology services.

For additional information on Lockheed Martin, visit www.lockheedmartin.com.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control - Dallas

[Gatsby2]

Nachricht aus der Rubrik "muehsam ernaehrt sich das Eichhoernchen". Quasi als verspaetetes Weihnachtsgeschenk vom Pentagon hat Lockheed noch kurz vor Jahresende 6 C-130J verkauft und damit zumindest die weitere Auslastung der bis jetzt ziemlich verlustreichen Anlagen erreicht.

Lockheed Wins $734.5 Million C-130J Order From US Military


Bethesda, Maryland, Dec. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Lockheed Martin Corp., the world`s largest
defense contractor, was awarded a $734.5 million contract to supply 12 C-130J military
transport planes, the U.S. Defense Department said.

The contract calls for Lockheed to provide six C-130Js to the Coast Guard, three
KC-130Js to the U.S. Marines and one C-130J and two C-130J-30 aircraft to the U.S. Air
Force`s Air National Guard units, the Department said. Work on the contract is to be
completed by 2006.

Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed avoided a costly shutdown of its plant near Atlanta
that makes the C-130J earlier this year when Congress authorized purchase of the planes.
Delays in C-130J deliveries have dragged down the company`s profits.

Lockheed shares fell 70 cents to $32.22 in early trading. They have risen 48 percent this
year. A spokesman for Lockheed couldn`t immediately be reached for comment.

The C-130J, which uses a crew of five, is used to airlift troops and equipment into a
battlefield. It can carry as many as 92 troops and as much as 45,000 pounds of cargo.

Dec/27/2000 10:09 ET

[Gatsby2]

Lockheed Martin Kursziel $40,--

First Union Securities Covers LMT
By: First Union Securities Inc.
12/18/00 6:50:07 AM

Morning Notes:
Visit the CNET Brokerage Center for daily reports from the top Wall Street analysts.

LMT: VALUATION MORE ATTRACTIVE AFTER RECENT WEAKNESS;
REITERATE BUY
Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT–NYSE)
Stock Rating: 2
Price Target: $40

LOCKHEED MARTIN COMPANY DESCRIPTION


Lockheed Martin is the largest U.S. defense contractor. The company designs,
manufactures, and integrates advanced technology systems, products, and services. These
products and services include aircraft (F-22, F-16, F-2, Joint Strike Fighter, C-130J
airlifter), spacecraft, launch vehicles (Titan, Atlas, Proton, Athena), strategic and defensive
missiles (THAAD, Trident, PAC-3, Hellfire, Longbow), systems integration, information
systems, telecommunications, and energy management. Lockheed Martin’s customers
include the U.S. government (71% of 1999 sales), foreign governments (19%) and
commercial clients (10%). The company completed the acquisition of COMSAT in August
2000.

Public company valuations of LMGT components reveal some of the value. While some of
the value of LMGT remains in the actual operating businesses, we believe a significant
portion of the value is from the equity holdings of LMGT. As an example, the company’s
interest in the recent IPO of New Skies (NSK, $9.69, Not Rated) is about $180 million, or
about $0.42 per share. At $164 million Telenor paid for Lockheed Martin’s 8.2% stake in
Inmarsat values the rest of LMGT’s holdings at $280 million or $0.65 per share. A third
component of the valuation is the core Systems & Technology Integration business at
LMGT that generates about $200 million in annual sales and should be valued like other
defense system integrators at 6-8x EBITDA (or about $0.80 per share). In total these
three components add almost $2 per Lockheed Martin share in value. In addition, with
Panamsat’s stock valuation indicating over 8x enterprise value to 2000 revenues, our
estimate of the value of Intelsat, Astrolink, Comsat International, and other pieces at
5.5-6.5x revenue seems reasonable. All of these should add confidence that the pieces are
worth several dollars per Lockheed Martin share.


Lockheed Martin’s current relative P/E multiple is 102% based on estimated 2001 EPS.
This multiple is toward the high end of its historical 58-98% relative P/E range, but on
depressed earnings levels. We believe that as we move into January investors will begin to
focus on 2002 earnings, which we think should be $1.50 or more. Therefore, we believe the
upside to the valuation is the ability of management to realize the value in the LMGT
businesses through strategic actions including finding strategic partners, IPOs, and spin-offs
of pieces of the business, perhaps beginning in 2001.


We value the core defense and aerospace business at 9x enterprise value-to-2001E
EBITDA, or $32 per share. In addition, we estimate that the LMGT parts are worth $7-8
per Lockheed Martin share in total. Therefore, we reiterate our Buy rating with a price
target of $40 per share.

[Gatsby2]

Insgesamt sieht es nach einem guten Tag fuer Lockheed aus: Nach Festbestellungen im Wert von ueber 700 Mrd. $ fuer die C-130J, jetzt auch noch diese Nachricht:

Wednesday December 27, 3:48 pm Eastern Time

Chile to replace jet fighters with U.S.-built F-16s

SANTIAGO, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Chile said Wednesday it selected U.S.-built F-16 jets to
replace aging fighters in a long-awaited upgrade of the air force estimated at $600 million.

The decision -- which has taken almost four years since Chile first announced in 1997 that it
wanted to replace its U.S.-built A-37 attack aircraft -- means Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT -
news) has won the order for 10 aircraft over rival French and Swedish jet builders.

``The government has authorized the air force (FACH) to begin purchase negotiations with
Lockheed Martin, whose F-16 airplane ranked the highest in a technical analysis done by the FACH,`` Chile`s Defense Minister
Mariano Fernandez said in a statement.

In 1999, the government froze plans to buy state-of-the-art fighter jets under pressure to reign in fiscal spending at the height of an
11-month recession.

President Ricardo Lagos, who took office in March and inherited a recovering economy, irked military leaders by initially
remaining silent on the postponed purchase. Civil- military tensions were already mounting due to an investigation of former
military dictator Augusto Pinochet`s for alleged human rights abuses committed during 1973-90 rule.

Lagos finally gave the go-ahead for the purchase two weeks after receiving the air force`s technical report, which gave top marks
to the Lockheed Martin aircraft over France`s Dassault Aviation Mirage 2000-5 and Sweden`s Saab AB JAS-39 Grippen.

The final price tag of the deal, which analysts have pegged at about $600 million, is unknown and will depend on the details of the
final purchase arrangement.

The military will pay for the aircraft directly from its own budget, which is padded by a Copper Reserve Law that hands the
armed forces 10 percent of all copper export returns.

Lagos, a socialist, said he has made the Lockheed Martin deal conditional on the company providing ``offset`` benefits to Chile. An
offset is the compensation an arms supplier agrees to give a client country in return for buying its weapons.

``We want to clarify what the offset aspects will be ... the offset is an additional element that we have to negotiate within six
months,`` Lagos said.

In addition to the aircraft, the Chilean Navy is currently negotiating a $1.2 billion deal to buy four war ships in a deal expected to
be signed in 2001.

[Gatsby2]

Thursday December 28, 10:11 am Eastern Time

YEARAHEAD-Defense firms face mixed picture, eye
Bush policies

By Kristin Roberts

NEW YORK, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The world`s defense companies aren`t popping the
champagne corks yet.

While spending on warfare technologies is expected to rise globally in the new year, the size of
that increase is still in question.

What`s more, with the U.S. economy slowing and the incoming Bush administration planning to re-evaluate programs and policy,
defense stocks may struggle to hold on to their high prices.

Even the brighter side of things is tempered. While investors should find the industry`s backlogged orders attractive, if the economy
has a hard landing, tighter fiscal policy may cramp spending on future orders, analysts said.

``The outlook is muddied because of new program decisions,`` said SG Cowen analyst Cai Von Rumohr.

``Decisions made next year could have implications way beyond next year,`` he said. ``The stocks have done so well that there is a
lot of anticipation, and there will be some uncertainty about whether this company`s program goes up, or if that company`s program
is delayed.``

RELIABLE RESULTS

Defense contractors -- makers of the world`s military ships and aircraft, missiles, surveillance and communications systems -- are
expected to show solid growth in revenues and earnings for 2001.

Analysts forecast average earnings growth of about 13 percent for the top five U.S. defense firms -- Lockheed Martin Corp.
(NYSE:LMT - news); Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - news); Raytheon Co. (NYSE:RTNa - news); General Dynamics Corp.
(NYSE:GD - news), and Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC - news) -- according to data from tracking firm First
Call/Thomson Financial.

The industry`s leading trade group, the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), sees aggregate sales climbing $1.6 billion in 2001
to a total $145 billion.

Sales to the U.S. Department of Defense should rise by $2.2 billion to about $48 billion, while sales to customers other than the
U.S. government are seen rising slightly to $62 billion, according to AIA estimates.

Debt loads may lighten as well for some defense leaders. Earlier this month, Lockheed Martin bought back about $1.9 billion of its
debt, leaving it with about $9 billion outstanding, according to federal filings.

The year ahead looks promising for a rebound in revenues and credit ratings, following nearly a decade of consolidation. But
investors have anticipated that trend, analysts said, and defense shares will seesaw on policy developments that affect results
beyond 2001.

SPENDING PRIORITIES AND SHIFTING POLICY

``The whole military is beginning to look like a museum piece,`` said Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of Lexington Institute,
a research and defense consulting firm. ``The question is, are we now finally going to start replacing some of these items?``

``You can bank on Bush increasing defense spending because even Clinton was planning to do that,`` Thompson said. ``However,
we can`t know at this point how much of it will go into the investment account, in other words research and procurement of
weapons.``

Indeed, President-elect George W. Bush will review all major spending programs, aides have said. They noted that Bush also
plans to take a second look at the Joint Strike Fighter program -- a contract worth $500 billion from U.S. and foreign governments
to build an advanced stealth fighter jet.

And at a time when industry groups and executives push for stronger trans-Atlantic partnerships, the new administration will
review the cross-border cooperation policy nurtured during the post-Cold War years under President Bill Clinton.

European contractors, therefore, face a similarly mixed picture in the new year as investors weigh an expected boost in U.S.
spending on defense technologies against the uncertainty of changing policy.

The European company most exposed to the arms market is Britain`s BAE Systems Plc (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: BA.L),
which is the world`s largest defense contractor, earning only about 20 percent of its revenues from civil sales.

BAE has the advantage of running extensive operations in the United States, where it is one of the Pentagon`s top suppliers.

British aero-engine firm Rolls-Royce Plc (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: RR.L) is another significant Pentagon contractor, while
defense-oriented continental firms include France`s Thales SA and Dassault Aviation . European Aeronautic Defense & Space
Co NV (EADS) has only a small defense operation.

``European defense budgets at present are extremely tight,`` said Goldman Sachs European aerospace and defense analyst Sash
Tusa. ``There are already very high expectations for increases in spending on both equipment and on outsourcing services, and
those expectations might not be met.``

[Micky_Maus]

Die Bestellung der F16 durch den Staat Chile ist noch lange nicht in trockenen Tüchern, zunächst mal gibt es nur eine Anfrage bei Lockheed Martin. Fraglich ist, ob das arme Land die Flieger überhaupt bezahlen kann, oder ob Lockheed bzw. die USA die Finanzierung übernehmen müssen.
Wie man hört, bestellt die chilenische Regierung nicht bei den Europäern, weil diese sich zuletzt kritisch zu Menschenrechtsfragen äußerten. Nicht zuletzt gab das Hick-Hack um Pinochet wohl den Ausschlag.

[Gatsby2]

Wohl wahr, die endgueltige Bestellung aus Chile mag noch ein Weilchen auf sich warten lassen, aber im Grundsatz besteht Einigkeit. Die Finanzierung scheint mir allerdings nicht so unsicher zu sein, denn wie schon im Artikel erwaehnt hat das Militaer besonderen Zugriff auf die Einnahmen aus dem chilenischen Kupfermonopol. Diese Form der Finanzierung erscheint mir letztlich doch solider, als das unlaengst mit Polen geschlossene Abkommen ueber das Leasing gebrauchter F-16. Die Frage, ob ein Land wie Chile keine dringenderen Probleme, als den Kauf von Kampfflugzeugen (und U-Booten aus Deutschland) hat, mag hier dahingestellt bleiben.

Warum die Entscheidung letztlich doch gegen europaeische Produkte gefallen ist, wird im Artikel mit ueberlegenen Testergebnissen fuer die F-16 begruendet. Allerdings moegen die von Dir genannten Gruende ebenos eine Rolle gespielt haben, wie die schnellere und kostenguenstigere Ersatzteilversorgung durch Lockheed.

Ansonsten: Guten Rutsch.

[Micky_Maus]

Lockheed Martin ist sicherlich nicht auf die mickrige und wage Bestellung aus Chile angewiesen. Angesichts der Probleme im Land selbst hat der Deal G`schmäckle, wie der Schwabe sagen würde.

Wie auch immer, mein Kursziel für Lockheed in 1 Jahr: 25 USD, bei Raytheon B: 45 USD.

Guten Rutsch & gute Geschäfte in 2001

[Gatsby2]

RE: Micky

Hmmm - klingt fast, als ob unsere kleine Wette, welcher Wert zuerst bei 40$ ankommt, doch noch spannend wuerde. Bei street.com wurde Raytheon als einer der 10 heissesten Turnaroundkandidaten fuer 2001 gehandelt.

Bush scheint weniger auf taktische Kampfflugzeuge, dafuer aber mehr auf diese bloedsinnige Raketenabwehr zu stehen. Das gaebe klare Pluspunkte fuer RTN. Auch cruise missiles werden die USA gelegentlich nachkaufen muessen, und ein Stueckpreis von ungefaehr 780,000 $ bringt schon Umsatz. Schliesslich hat Raytheon auch noch die relativ unbeachtete Abwehr von Computerangriffen aus dem WWW auf der Habenseite. Gegen Raytheon spricht allerdings die extrem hohe Verschuldung von nach wie vor fast 10 Mrd.$ und die damit einhergehende Schmaelerung des free cash-flow, der nunmal ein massgebliches Bewertungskriterium fuer Aerospace/Defence-Werte ist. Auch die Situation bei Raytheon Aircraft ist recht bescheiden, denn die fuer Q1/00 vorgesehene Zulassung des neuen Businessjets durch die FAA steht nach wie vor aus. RAC steht denn auch zum Verkauf, bloss gibt es recht wenige aussichtsreiche Uebernahmekandidaten, die natuerlich alle die Situation kennen.

Lockheed hat im Augenblick grosse Schwierigkeiten mit dem Satelliten- und Launchgeschaeft (die Kapazitaeten in Florida werden im Q1/01 nahezu stilliegen), und auch eine Kuerzung bei der F-22 oder dem JSF wuerde sicherlich vom Kapitalmarkt nicht gerade positiv aufgenommen werden. Auch der Transporter C-130J ist ein ziemlicher Verlustbringer, aber mit dem letzten Auftrag konnte immerhin der Fortbestand des Marietta-Werkes in Georgia gesichert werden. Ein grosser Pluspunkt fuer Lockheed Martin liegt darin, dass es in diesem Jahr gelungen ist die ebenfalls enormen Schulden um 25% (von rd. 12 Mrd. auf rd. 9 Mrd.) zu verringern. Die F-16 ist nach wie vor ein Dauerbrenner, und falls Bush den JSF komplett streichen sollte, steht mit der F-16 Block 60 eine nahezu gleichwertige Maschine bereit, die ohne den kostspieligen Bau neuer Produktionsanlagen in Verkehr gebracht werden kann. Durch den juengsten Zusammenschluss von Northrop Grumman und Litton ist ein Verkauf der Marineelektroniksparte an General Dynamics nicht unwahrscheinlicher geworden, und auf den IPO von Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunication darf man grosse Hoffnungen setzen.

Wie gesagt: es bleibt spannend, aber ich glaube nach wie vor, dass LMT vor RTNb bei 40$ stehen wird.

[Gatsby2]

Jedenfalls fuer Lockheed faengt das neue Jahr mit einem netten Auftrag fuer die Ersatzteillogistik fuer die Galaxy an, der im Lauf der Zeit ein Gesamtvolumen von bis zu 1,1 Mrd. $ erreichen koennte.

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aircraft & Logistics Centers

Lockheed Martin Aircraft & Logistics Centers Selected to Manage C-5 Parts
Program

GREENVILLE, S.C., Jan. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin Aircraft & Logistics Centers` has been selected by the Defense Logistics Agency through a
competitive process to manage aircraft parts support for the C-5 Galaxy aircraft. The new 3-year contract provides for seven additional years in options. If all option
periods are exercised, the value of the contract is estimated at approximately $1.1 billion.

Under the contract, Aircraft & Logistics Centers will function as a supply and distribution manager for logistics support to depot maintenance facilities and worldwide
customers. The company will work with suppliers and customers to improve forecasting requirements and product quality.

The contract encompasses nearly 12,000 consumable items that will be phased in to support operational requirements over the first year of the contract. Aircraft and
Logistics Centers will also establish information systems that enable DLA`s supply centers to place and track electronic orders and the customer will have total asset
visibility through the Internet.

The C-5, one of the largest aircraft in the world, is an outsized-cargo transport that will provide the U.S. Air Force with inter-theater airlift support through 2040.
Lockheed Martin built 126 C-5s at its Marietta, Ga., plant from 1970 to 1989.

``This is a new approach to the management of the supply chain for an entire weapon system and reflects increasing government and industry cooperation to provide
support to the warfighter,`` said Daniel W. Patterson, President of Aircraft & Logistics Centers. ``This program is designed to improve the availability of parts to
support maintenance and supply operations for the C-5.``

This contract positions Greenville as a hub for logistics support for the C-5 Galaxy and expands Aircraft & Logistics Centers` services to include depot-level
operational support to the Defense Logistics Agency. Work under the contract will be performed in Greenville where approximately 40 new jobs will be created.
Professionals in the areas of program management, logistics, forecasting, engineering and information technology will support the program.

Aircraft & Logistics Centers, headquartered in Greenville, S.C., is the aerospace support arm of the Technology Services Business Area of the Lockheed Martin
Corporation, and is one of the leading providers of aircraft maintenance and total life cycle support services for the Department of Defense and commercial
customers. The company has 8,000 employees at more than 90 locations throughout the United States and overseas.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - news) is a highly diversified global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design,
development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The corporation`s core businesses are systems integration, space,
aeronautics and technology services. Lockheed Martin had 1999 sales surpassing $25 billion.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aircraft & Logistics Centers

[Micky_Maus]

Deutsche Fassung nachzulesen z.B. bei www.finanztreff.de unter "Nachrichten".
Die LMT-Distribution Tec. hat einen Wartungsvertrag über C-5-Jets (Großraumflugzeuge der US-Luftwaffe) über 3 Jahre (+Option für 7 Jahre) im Volumen von 1,1 Mrd.USD abgeschlossen.

[Gatsby2]

Re: Micky_Mouse

Finanztreff.de werde ich mir gleich mal ansehen, aber erstmal habe ich neue Nachrichten zu Lockheed. Leider auch wieder in Englisch, denn da finde ich die Informationen schneller. (Gewohnheit?)

Jedenfalls koennte morgen ein ueberaus interessanter Tag fuer LMC sein, denn die U.S.-Airforce entscheidet darueber, ob sie die F-22 haben will oder nicht. Faellt die Entscheidung positiv aus, geht die F-22 in Kleinserie.

F-22 Production Decision Postponed
Christopher Hellman, Senior Analyst, [e-mail]

The Air Force`s F-22 fighter program got a welcome reprieve this week when the Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) delayed its
scheduled December 21 meeting on the F-22 until January 3. In order to be approved for Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP), the
F-22 had to meet a set of congressionally mandated testing criteria in advance of the DAB meeting. The Air Force and the F-22`s
contractor, Lockheed-Martin, have been scrambling in recent weeks to hit all the testing milestones in time. According to the Air
Force, the delay in the DAB date "ensures that all test criteria are completed."

As part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (P.L.106-79), Congress included language that
stated that the Air Force could only spend procurement funds on the F-22 if it met 10 specific criteria prior to the DAB meeting.
While having met a number of the requirements, including flying the aircraft`s Block 3.0 avionics software on a flying test bed and
the successful airborne release of an AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile, the F-22 has yet to meet other significant milestones.
These include the first flights of aircraft number 4006, completion of radar cross-section testing to help determine the aircraft`s
radar signature, and flight of an actual F-22 aircraft that has the program`s Block 3.0 avionics software fully integrated.

The Air Force has been aware for several months of the need to accelerate its testing program in advance of the DAB meeting.
In mid-September the Air Force`s head of fighter and bomber acquisitions, Major General Claude Bolton, while expressing
confidence in the F-22 fighter plane`s revised testing schedule, acknowledged there was "moderate" risk in being able to meet
specific milestones. In late October, Air Force Secretary Whitten Peters said that meeting the end of December deadline was
"best case" while not doing so until January or February was "worst case."

Meanwhile, as program officials rushed to meet the testing deadlines, Air Force and industry officials were pressing Congress to
permit them to spend some of the F-22`s procurement money without an actual production decision. As part of the Fiscal Year
2001 budget, the Administration requested and Congress funded roughly $4 billion for the F-22 program, including $2.5 billion for
procurement. However, without a decision to begin LRIP, most of these funds could not be released. The Air Force, therefore,
asked Congress to release a portion of the funds to finish buying the aircraft it had already ordered and to start buying production
models. Without this "bridge funding," the Air Force argued, F-22 contractors and subcontractors would likely issue "stop work"
orders when the current production contracts expire on December 30. According to Air Force officials, the service was seeking
release of $900 million.

In early December Congress adopted an omnibus spending bill to complete all the FY`01 appropriations not yet approved. The
conference agreement on H.R. 4577, the Labor-Health & Human Services-Education appropriations act, also included provisions
releasing "bridge funding" for the F-22. Congress permitted the Secretary of the Air Force to "obligate up to $353 million...to
continue F-22...advanced procurement to protect the supplier base and preserve program costs and schedule."

[Gatsby2]

Jetzt haben sie es doch noch geschafft: Nachdem Norman Augustine, der fruehere Vorstandsvorsitzende, fuer ein Amt im Kabinett Bush nicht mehr zur Verfuegung stand, wird Norman Mineta, ebenfalls frueheres Vorstandsmitglied von Lockheed Martin jetzt Transportminister.

Tuesday January 2 6:25 PM ET
Mineta Chalks Up Another First

By BART JANSEN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Norman Y. Mineta chalked up another first Tuesday
when Republican President-elect Bush chose the Democrat as his
Transportation secretary.

Mineta, sent with his family to Japanese-American internment camps during
World War II, had been the first Asian-American mayor of a major city - his
native San Jose, Calif. - the first to lead a House committee and first to fill a
cabinet slot as President Clinton (news - web sites)`s Commerce secretary.

Mineta, 69, said he was proud of his membership in the Democratic Party, but
that it is time to govern in the Republican administration.

``There are no Democratic or Republican highways, no such thing as Republican or Democratic traffic congestion,
no such thing as Republican or Democratic aviation and highway safety,`` Mineta said. ``Our national
transportation policy must have one overriding bipartisan goal, and that is to give our economy the tools and the
infrastructure it needs in order to create and sustain growth and prosperity.``

Mineta served 20 years in Congress, the last two as chairman of the Public Works and Transportation Committee.
He stepped down in 1995 to become a senior vice president at defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.,
working on transportation.

For example, at Lockheed he worked on ``intelligent highway systems`` aimed at improving traffic flow without
building new roads, through tactics such as electronic toll booths, after sponsoring a 1991 bill for $660 million in
research in that area.

``He will have no learning curve,`` said Jim Burnley, former transportation secretary under President Reagan.

Kenneth Quinn, a former counselor to the transportation secretary in the first Bush administration, credited Mineta
with shepherding 1990 legislation that replaced noisy aircraft with quieter planes, and also speeded up passenger
fees at airports to improve facilities.

``I can`t think of anyone who could break through highway gridlock than Norm Mineta,`` Quinn said. ``He has an
uncanny knack for dealing with both sides of the aisle.``

Mineta`s departure from the House after Newt Gingrich became speaker disappointed some Democrats because
his seat fell into Republican hands in a special election.

``The disappointment was simply that he left,`` said Steve Preminger, chairman of the Santa Clara County
Democratic Party. ``We wished him well, though, and it was nothing personal.``

John J. Pitney Jr., an associate professor at Claremont McKenna College, said the fallout didn`t hurt Mineta in his
Senate confirmation as Commerce secretary.

``I`m sure Democrats were unhappy to lose the seat,`` Pitney said. ``Senators don`t care what happens in the
House.``

A Clinton administration official said everyone from Vice President Gore down encouraged Mineta to take the
job.

Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., spoke for many familiar with Mineta in saying his appointment would benefit Silicon
Valley, the state of California and the Asian American community.

``He is a superb public servant and he`ll do a superb job,`` Lantos said. ``He is known for a singularly effective
relationship with his colleagues across the political aisles.``

The White House offered similar praise. ``Norm Mineta has done a terrific job in this administration and he will be
an asset to any administration,`` said spokesman Jake Siewert.

Mineta becomes the third Californian in Bush`s cabinet. Anthony Principi, a Vietnam veteran from San Diego,
was named head of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Ann Veneman of Sacramento, a former state
agriculture director and federal deputy secretary of agriculture, was tapped as secretary.

Mineta had just turned 10 when he joined more than 120,000 Japanese-Americans who were rounded up and sent
to camps after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. He was herded to Wyoming with his family,
wearing his Cub Scouts uniform.

On Capitol Hill, Mineta wrote laws governing airports, transit systems and roadways, and was an early advocate
for high-tech Silicon Valley in the heart of his district.

But Mineta`s heart never strayed far from his people, and he pushed until he won passage of the Civil Liberties
Act of 1988, through which the United States apologized for the internment camps and paid reparations of $20,000
to each survivor.

-

On the Net:

President-elect Bush`s transition site: http://www.bushcheneytransition.com

[Micky_Maus]

Jaja, das war das kleine Zugeständnis wg. des knappen Wahlausgangs an die Demokraten (immerhin ist Gore ja von der Mehrheit der Amerikaner gewählt worden).
Fraglich, ob der Golfkriegsheld Powell das nötige Feingefühl hat, um Krisen in aller Welt zu lösen. Und der Verteidigungsminister ist ja ein alter Haudegen, der das Raketenabwehrprogramm durchziehen wird.
Die Amerikaner werden sich mehr um sich selbst kümmern, das ist auch nötig, angesichts einer drohenden Rezession. Nur gut, dass Papa Bush ein alter Deutschland-Freund ist.

[Gatsby2]

Das Zugestaendnis mussten sie auch machen, denn schliesslich ist die Mehrheit fuer die Republikaner im Repraesentantenhaus denkbar knapp. Keine Frage, dass ich einen Verteidigungsminister Augustine lieber gesehen haette, aber so geht es auch. Schliesslich baut Lockheed auch Systeme fuer die Ueberwachung der Zivilluftfahrt und die Anflugkontrolle, ebenso wie Gepaeckverteilungssysteme.

Ach ja - Verkehrsueberwachungssysteme bauen sie auch noch:

Tuesday January 2, 7:02 am Eastern Time

Press Release

Golden Gate Bridge Uses LMGT Technology to Ease
Congestion

BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 2, 2001--A highly secure network management technology, developed by
Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications (LMGT), helps keep the traffic moving across one of America`s most recognized
landmarks, San Francisco`s Golden Gate Bridge.

LMGT is a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin IMS (LMIMS) which provides electronic toll collection customer service center
operations, and toll plaza computer system management for the FasTrak(TM) electronic toll collection system. FasTrak has been
open to the public since July 13, 2000 and electronically collects tolls from vehicles crossing the bridge.

Using a secure, managed network, the system deducts the charge from the vehicle owner`s prepaid account.

The secure networking technology used by LMIMS in the FasTrak system is Securedge(SM) VPN (Virtual Private Network) and
was tailored by LMGT to meet the unique requirements of FasTrak on the Golden Gate Bridge. LMGT`s Securedge VPN allows
system operators to send and receive secure and confidential data between service center computers and other system
components.

Securedge VPN permits the maintenance and upgrade of the systems supporting the Golden Gate Bridge, while maintaining
complete security of individual account and credit card information. The individual account information is used by the bridge`s
customer service center, which bills the individual vehicle owner for bridge toll transactions.

FasTrak uses a lightweight transponder, about the size of a deck of cards which mounts inside a vehicle`s windshield and sends a
coded signal to a system antenna at the tollbooth.

The signal transmits account identification information from the windshield tag to the system`s computer system where specific
account information is securely maintained and the toll is electronically deducted from that account. The driver does not have to
stop and pay the toll and continues on to his destination.

``Securedge VPN is a secure networking tool and is part of an electronic toll collection system that helps keep the bridge traffic
moving by allowing motorists using FasTrak to cross the bridge without stopping to pay the toll,`` said Regina Hand, IMS`s program
manager for the Golden Gate Bridge. ``Opening a FasTrak account with a credit card is convenient for motorists, and offers
complete billing security,`` she added.

``LMGT`s Securedge VPN service is a reliable, comprehensive and high-quality secure Internet Protocol VPN managed solution
that allows enterprise customers to connect anywhere with security everywhere,`` said James Welch, president and general
manager of LMGT Network Services. ``Securedge VPN is just one of the services being offered in LMGT`s Securedge services
portfolio. Securedge extends the boundaries of traditional networks to offer enterprise customers the vital security component
needed for network integrity and successful e-transformation of their business in today`s fiercely competitive e-business
environment. In addition to Securedge VPN, the Securedge portfolio currently includes Securedge Advisor and Securedge
Protector. The next portfolio offering, Securedge Extranet, will be commercially available before the end of the year,`` Welch
added.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a vital transportation link between San Francisco and the counties to the north of the city. As a fixed,
six-lane roadway, the bridge cannot be expanded to accommodate traffic growth. As a result, the bridge has been the scene of a
number of internationally recognized and innovative procedures designed to improve the flow of traffic.

Most recently, the introduction of the FasTrak electronic toll collection system has dramatically reduced congestion at the toll
plaza, especially during peak morning commute hours. During 1999, almost 42 million vehicles crossed the Golden Gate Bridge
with a weekday average of nearly 120,000 vehicles daily.

LMGT, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT - news), is a premier global provider of network
services and advanced technology solutions to enterprise customers. LMGT is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland and includes
the satellite, network and product assets of the former COMSAT Corporation and the commercial information technology unit of
Lockheed Martin.

LMGT has major operations in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Clarksburg, Maryland; and Orlando, Florida and has regional offices in
Atlanta, Georgia; Reston, Virginia; King of Prussia, Pennsylvania; Santa Clara and Santa Paula, California; and Southbury,
Connecticut. International operations are located in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, India, Ireland,
Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Venezuela.

Contact:

Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications
Tom Surface, 301/214-3419
[e-mail]

[Gatsby2]

Nach einer Meldung der Washington Post ist die Entscheidung ueber die Beschaffung der F-22 auf den 20.Januar verschoben worden. Offizielle Begruendung: schlechtes Wetter; inoffizielle Spekulation: die Entscheidung soll der naechsten Administration ueberlassen werden.

F-22 DECISION PUT OFF BY INCOMPLETE TESTS: With required testing still incomplete, the Pentagon has delayed a
decision due today on whether to spend $2.1 billion for a batch of F-22 fighter planes
from Lockheed Martin Corp. It is the second postponement of a decision originally scheduled for last month and pushes the
action closer to the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Bush, who has promised
to consider cutting such programs. A Lockheed Martin spokesman said bad weather at a factory in Georgia made it difficult to
finish some of the tests that Congress demanded last year as a condition for buying
the first 10 production models of the high-technology jet. Bush and his advisers have suggested that fighter planes might be
scaled back to make room for other priorities such as cargo planes and long-range
bombers. One of Bush`s military advisers, Richard Armitage, said yesterday that he didn`t know whether the new
administration would seek to delay the purchase, but that he thought it should. "I think as a general
matter, we`re so close that it`s a good idea to let the new folks have a look," Armitage said. "The new administration has
declared its intent to have a full-up tac-air review, so in that regard it makes sense." The
Pentagon plans to give Lockheed Martin until the middle of this month to complete more testing, a Defense Department
spokesman said. One Air Force official said the decision could come as soon as next week.
"It`s not an issue of trying to push it into the next administration, it`s simply an issue of [bad] weather," said the official, who
asked not to be identified. (Washington Post)

[Gatsby2]

Fuer die Hersteller von taktischen Kampfflugzeugen wird 2001 ein spannendes Jahr. Vor allem, weil
die Regierung in spé schon vorab angekuendigt hat, die Beschaffung neuer Jagdflugzeuge einer
kleinen Revision unterziehen zu wollen.

Aerospace daily hatte dazu ein kleines feature. Bemerkenswert finde ich vor allem den Hinweis auf
die Exportchancen fuer den JSF. Sollte dieses Programm komplett gestrichen werden, koennte dies
fuer EADS aeusserst vorteilhaft sein.

Among DOD Aviation Programs

by Linda de France

From Aerospace Daily, Jan. 02, 2001

01/02/01 09:37:12 AM U.S. EST

The year 2001 will be a watershed
for several major new Pentagon
aircraft programs, with the winner of
the Joint Strike Fighter contract to
be chosen in the fall, the F-22 to
move into low rate initial production,
the beginning of a multi-year procurement contract for the
F/A-18E/F, and a decision on whether the MV-22 should move
into full-rate production.

The new Bush Administration, coupled with a new Congress,
will likely call into question the need for all three of the jets –
the JSF, F-22 and F/A-18E/F. But the services, fielding aging
aircraft with increased maintenance costs and problems, stand
poised to defend their modernization plans. And while the
modernization requirements will not be questioned, the
solutions to meet each service’s fighter-aircraft needs will be.

Of the three newest fighter programs, the JSF is the most
vulnerable to getting the axe because it is the least developed
and the long-term cost for almost 3,000 of the aircraft is more
than $200 billion. The Marine Corps has been the most vocal
about the need for the JSF, as it is the service with the fewest
fighter aircraft options.

If the JSF is cut, USMC Commandant Gen. James L. Jones
has acknowledged, the back-up plan would be to buy more
F/A-18E/Fs. But Jones believes that in the bigger picture,
cutting the JSF program would be a serious blow to industry as
well as the military.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark also said he is
counting on the Joint Strike Fighter to replace aging Navy
aircraft and resolve mounting reliability problems associated
with flying what is now the oldest fleet of aircraft in his service`s
history – which ultimately affects readiness.

Older aircraft in all the services present escalating
maintenance requirements and down-time while archaic parts
are sought.

"We have circumstances where we`re down to single
suppliers," Clark said. The service chiefs have been looking to
the commonality in JSF parts to resolve these problems.

A cut to the JSF would be a big
blow to foreign investors,
particularly the U.K., which is
looking to the JSF for both the
Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.
Noteworthy is that there are no
foreign customers lined up to buy
any F-22s or F/A-18E/Fs, but more
than a dozen countries have
expressed serious interest in the JSF, with the JSF program
office estimating up to an additional 3,000 aircraft in foreign
sales.

"You look at not only what`s good operationally, but what`s
good for the industrial base, and what`s good for our allies,"
Jones said recently. "And there`s only one platform in the
fighter community that is going to answer positively to all three
of those questions, and that`s Joint Strike Fighter."

But it is not just doubts about the JSF that concern the Marine
Corps. Not only has its Harrier fleet been plagued with
repeated problems and groundings, but it is flying Vietnam-era
helicopters that officials believe should have been retired long
ago. The service has counted on the MV-22 to replace its
CH-46 medium-lift helicopter, but two fatal crashes last year
have essentially put the program on hold while a blue-ribbon
panel examines the safety and suitability of the aircraft prior to
a production decision.

The Air Force has a large stake in the JSF program too. The
service has sought almost 1,800 of the aircraft, the lion`s share
of the planes for the U.S. and U.K. But throughout the halls of
the Pentagon, whisperings among top officials have said if the
Air Force has to choose between the F-22 and the JSF, the
F-22 will win hands-down.

While the buy for the F-22 has already been more than halved,
some conservative members of congress have said the
proposal for 339 of the jets is just too low. Eliminating the JSF
would open the doors to increasing the number of F-22s,
including adding a version to replace the F-15E Strike Eagle.

Cutting the JSF program would free up dollars to pursue other
technological edge developments as well, most likely to be
seen in the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles. While the
coming year will undoubtedly bring tough procurement choices
for several major aircraft programs, UAVs may have some
immunity to such budget scrutiny. Not only do they eliminate
the risk of sending a manned aircraft into a conflict, but UAVs
are cheaper and tend to have a much shorter lag between
concept and fielding.

[Gatsby2]

Hier noch ein kleiner Auftrag fuer Lockheed, der hoffentlich keine Indizwirkung hat: Die Airforce hat nochmals 4 F-16 nachbestellt.

Wednesday January 3, 12:05 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

USAF Purchases Additional Lockheed Martin F-16s

FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air Force has placed an order with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Company for four additional F-16 aircraft that were funded in the Fiscal Year 2001 Defense Appropriations Act. The contract
was finalized on Dec. 26, 2000.

The aircraft will deliver at one per month between October 2002 and January 2003. Contract value for Lockheed Martin is $47.5
million.

``The USAF continues to buy F-16s for force sustainment and modernization,`` said Don Jones, vice president of F-16 Programs.
``These aircraft will also help us to smooth the ramp up to the higher production rates scheduled in 2003.``

The aircraft will be Block 50 F-16C models in the same configuration as the 10 ordered earlier last year in the FY 00 buy.
Distinguishing features include modular mission computer, color displays and recording equipment, on-board oxygen generating
system, and the APX-113 advanced electronic interrogator/transponder. These aircraft will also be common to the initial deliveries
in the USAF`s Block 40/50 fleetwide retrofit program called the F-16 Common Configuration Implementation Program.

With this latest purchase, there were 234 F-16s ordered worldwide during calendar year 2000. The total number of F-16s
delivered and on firm order now stands at 4,285. In addition, Chile recently announced selection of the F-16 for its New Combat
Aircraft program and will be the 21st country to operate the F-16.

The F-16, the world`s most sought-after fighter, is the choice of 21 countries. More than 4,000 aircraft have been delivered;
hundreds more will be delivered to Bahrain, Egypt, the United States, Israel, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Korea, Singapore
and Chile; and production is expected to continue beyond 2010. Major upgrades for all F-16 versions are being incorporated to
keep the fleet modern and fully supportable over the aircraft`s long service life.

The F-16 is playing a major role as the durable and versatile ``workhorse`` in allied peacekeeping operations in the Balkans and
Iraq.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company is a leader in the design, development, systems integration, production and support of
advanced military aircraft and related technologies. Its customers include the military services of the United States and allied
countries throughout the world. Products include the F-22, F-16, F-117, C-5, C-27J, C-130, P-3, U-2 and X-33. The company leads
a team competing for the development and production of the Joint Strike Fighter.

LM Aeronautics is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT - news), headquartered in Bethesda, Md. Lockheed Martin is a
global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology
systems, products and services. The corporation`s core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics and technology
services.

F-16 is a registered trademark of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

For information on Lockheed Martin Corporation, visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com.

For information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, visit: http://www.lmaeronautics.com.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

[Micky_Maus]

Nach der überaschenden Zinssenkung und der Aussicht auf weitere werden wohl viele potenzielle Investoren Lockheed Martin vom Einkaufszettel streichen. Jetzt sind wieder die Hightechs dran, aber nur die guten Titel. Mit NT und WCOM bin ich da schon mal gut positioniert, wenngleich noch einiges zu meinem Einstiegskurs fehlt.

Mit den defensiven Rüstungswerten ließ es sich in der Vergangenheit gut schlafen, könnte mir aber vorstellen, dass viele Anleger jetzt rausgehen und wieder rein in die Nasdaq. Positiver Aspekt ist der niedrigere Euro, damit wird der Kursverlust aufgefangen.

[Gatsby2]

Ja, der gute alte Al hat mit seiner Zinssenkung die Stimmung fuer den Markt bestimmt verbessert. Gut fuer Finanztitel, wie z.B. AXP

Ob so aber dauerhafter Aufschwung fuer die NASDAQ geschaffen wird, bleibt noch abzuwarten. Ich glaube nicht, dass die Gewinnwarnungen abreissen werden... Allerdings glaube ich auch, dass ich mit CALP und ISCO.OB gut positioniert bin.

Das ist aber fuer mich kein Grund, LMT jetzt Knall auf Fall abzuladen. Die Steuer kostet mich sicher 35% meiner Gewinne, aber Lockheed muesste schon bis Maerz um die 18 - 20% verlieren, um den gleichen Effekt zu erzielen. Bloss: Im Markt kann ich mein Geld zurueckbekommen. Beim Fiskus nicht.

[Micky_Maus]

Auf Spekulationsgewinne brauchte ich letztes Jahr nicht zu schauen- es gab keine. LMT jetzt schnell zu verkaufen, wäre sicher falsch. Zwar hat sich der Kurs vom Tief verdoppelt, aber über einen langen Zeitraum und nicht wie am Neuen Markt mal eben von heute auf morgen. Die Lage selbst ist ja auch viel besser bei LMT. Nur rechne ich jetzt erst mal mit einer Seitwärtsbewegung, während andere Titel weiter zulegen.
Die Ursachen für die schlechten Unternehmensmeldungen waren 1. die hohen Zinsen und 2. der schwache Euro. Wie es aussieht, korrigiert sich beides. Bis sich das positiv auswirkt, vergeht zwar noch fast 1 Jahr. Aber die Börse blickt voraus und wenn die Aussichten wieder stimmen, verzeiht man auch ein schlechtes Quartal.
Die US_Daten am Freitag sind bestimmt grottenschlecht, aber das ist nun ein offenes Geheimnis und kein Grund mehr für Kursrückgänge.

[Gatsby2]

Ich muss Dir schon wieder recht geben. Warum sollte ich trotz Seitwaertsbewegung verkaufen, wenn ich seitwaerts aus der Speku gehe und so steuerlich 18% mache? Zumal wir dann schon wieder ins Sommerloch gehen, und zumal wir im Jahr einer Regierungsuebernahme durch die Republikaner sind?

Im uebrigen profitiert Lockheed mit seinen hohen Schulden unmittelbar von der Zinssenkung, und die Gewinnwarnungen an der NASDAQ werden so bald sicher nicht abreissen, und so lasse ich lieber ein paar defensive Werte wie LMT oder EADS im Depot liegen. Mit der Strategie bin ich das ganze Jahr hindurch gut gefahren, und bis zum Sommer halte ich sie auch weiterhin fuer sinnvoll. ... So ungefaehr wie Fussball: ein Standbein und ein Spielbein...

[Gatsby2]

Es scheint fast, als ob die Republikaner noch eine nachtraegliche Wahlkampffinanzierung brauchen. Die U.S.Airforce ist heiss auf die F-22 (denn die MIG 22 ist z.Zt. besser als alles andere), und die F-15 hat langsam ihre Altersgrenze erreicht. Ich waere sehr ueberrascht, wenn eine republikanische Regierung die Einfuehrung des besten Jagdflugzeuges der Welt stoppte. Lockheed scheint es aehnlich zu sehen:

Wednesday January 3 4:57 PM ET
Lockheed Voices F-22 Confidence

By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT - news)
Corp., the Pentagon (news - web sites)`s No. 1 supplier, voiced confidence on
Wednesday in its fledgling $40 billion program to build a new top U.S. air-to-air
fighter notwithstanding a wide-ranging review by the incoming George W.
Bush (news - web sites) administration.

The company said it had not been contacted yet about the F-22 ``Raptor`` by
Bush aides, who have promised a thorough review of all such U.S. tactical
aircraft programs.

``We`ve had no communications from the new administration regarding the
program,`` Greg Caires, a spokesman in Marietta, Ga., said. ``We`re comfortable with the expected top-to-bottom
review.``

He spoke after the Pentagon delayed a decision that had been due on Wednesday on whether to let the Air Force
spend $2.1 billion for the first 10 F-22 production models and seed money for a second batch of 16.

The decision was to have been made by a panel chaired by Jacques Gansler, under secretary of defense for
acquisition, technology and logistics, who is due to leave his job later this week. The decision was put off because
three of 11 required tests had not been completed, the Pentagon said.

The Air Force has been planning to buy 339 F-22s, which would replace the 1960s-vintage F-15 ``Eagle`` as the
top U.S. air superiority fighter. The F-22 would combine the latest avionics, or integrated information systems,
with an airframe designed to make it nearly invisible to radar.

Scheduled to enter service in 2005, the Air Force considers it a top priority. Each copy is estimated to cost $182
million in inflation-adjusted dollars that include research, production, support and air base construction costs.

Navy Lt. David Gai, a Pentagon spokesman, said the acquisition board, mandated by Congress to give the
go-ahead before production begins, may meet as early as mid-month, once the congressionally mandated tests
were completed.

``The Air Force is telling us they hope to have the milestones completed around the 11th of January,`` he said.

Bush Aide Urges Delay

One of Bush`s military advisors, Richard Armitage, told the Washington Post on Tuesday that he thought the new
administration, which takes office on Jan. 20, should delay the purchase.

``I think as a general matter, we`re so close that it`s a good idea to let the new folks have a look,`` Armitage was
quoted as saying. ``The new administration has declared its intent to have a full-up tac-air review, so in that regard
it would make sense.``

Armitage did not return a phone call seeking clarification of his comment. But an Air Force spokesman, Lt. Col.
Arthur Haubold, said he knew of no plans to postpone a purchase into the new administration.

Haubold said as far as he knew the acquisition board might eve fund the program if only two of the three
remaining tests were wrapped up on or about Jan. 11, the new target date for the acquisition board meeting.

``It would be a conditional approval,`` he said, pending taking up a sixth test plane for its maiden flight.

One of the other unmet criteria, the fight testing of the Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - news) avionics, or integrated
information systems, was scheduled to be completed Wednesday afternoon. The other one -- radar cross-section
testing of ``stealth`` properties -- was also due for completion in coming days, Caires said.

He said bad weather in Georgia, where final assembly of the aircraft takes place, had set back the testing.

One reason for Lockheed`s stated confidence in the F-22 is that both Vice President-elect Dick Cheney (news -
web sites) and Bush`s choice for defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, joined five other former U.S. defense
secretaries in persuading the Congress to fund the aircraft`s development.

In an April 27, 1998, letter, they wrote that ``the stealth, agility, firepower an situational awareness embodied in the
F-22 must be funded.``

The Project on Government Oversight (POGO), a private watchdog group, said if the Pentagon approved the
release of production funding before the tests were completed, the F-22 was on track to becoming a ``buy before
fly`` fiasco that could end up ballooning in cost.

``The Pentagon has a long history of moving into production

before they really know if the aircraft works likes it`s supposed to,`` said Eric Miller, who has investigated the
program for POGO.

[Gatsby2]

In den letzten Tagen gab es ja allerlei negative Nachrichten ueber die F-22 und die voraussichtlichen Verzoegerungen bei der Zertifizierung durch die U.S.Airforce bzw. den Kongress. Heute gab es dann endlich mal was positives: die erste Testreihe mit den neuen Avionics Block 3.0 war erfolgreich.

Friday January 5, 4:18 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

F-22 Raptor Achieves Key Program Criteria -- First
Flight of Raptor 4005 Armed With Block 3.0 Avionics

MARIETTA, Ga., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air Force`s F-22 program soared over another milestone today with the first
flight of an F-22 Raptor equipped with combat-capable avionics as Boeing test pilot Randy Neville flew the successful first flight
of Raptor 4005 from Lockheed Martin`s facility in Marietta, Ga.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010105/ATF013 )

One of three remaining tasks required prior to a decision to start F-22 low-rate initial production, the flight incorporated Block 3.0
software components, which provide functions such as radar processing and sensor fusion, electronic warfare and
countermeasures, communication, navigation and identification, and pilot/vehicle interface.

``Flying Raptor 4005 with the Block 3.0 represented the program`s current most technically demanding challenge,`` said Brig. Gen.
Jay Jabour, F-22 System Program Director. ``This successful flight, in addition to our other recent achievements, demonstrates
that the program is ready for low-rate production.``

The F-22 is the crucial next step to the Air Force`s transformation to the expeditionary aerospace force of the future. Fielding it in
sufficient numbers will guarantee U.S. air dominance for the next three decades. As a force enabler, it will reduce the risk to U.S.
and friendly forces in conflicts of all sizes and lead to dramatically fewer allied casualties, he added.

The F-22 program is managed by the F-22 System Program Office, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

``Block 3.0 is the software that provides and controls the `first look, first shot, first kill` warfighting capability of the F-22 Raptor,``
said Tom McDermott, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics` F-22 avionics product manager. ``Block 3.0 provides the multi-sensor fusion
Raptor pilots will need to accurately acquire, track, identify and engage multiple targets.``

In addition to Block 3.0`s ability to launch and guide multiple weapons -- such as the AIM 120 and AIM-9 air-to-air missiles -- this
software package enables the aircraft to automatically detect and defeat incoming missiles by initiating the Raptor`s counter-
measures, according to McDermott. The Boeing Company integrates and tests the Raptor`s avionics at the Avionics Integration
Lab (AIL) in Seattle and on the Flying Test Bed (FTB.) Both the AIL and FTB are helping reduce avionics risks and contain
development costs by enabling extensive evaluation and troubleshooting before full avionics are installed on the F-22.

The decision to enter low-rate initial production (LRIP) rests with the Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) chaired by the defense
undersecretary for acquisition and technology.

The DAB, previously scheduled for January 3, has been postponed until next week. Weather was the driving factor in postponing
the meeting. The program was on schedule to meet all DAB requirements until three snow storms at the Marietta, Ga., test site
forced the rescheduling of the last three criteria tests. Had the weather cooperated, all DAB testing would have been completed
by the first week of January.

``We were on schedule to complete all the testing until the weather turned bad on us. The good news is the F-22 is the most tested
aircraft the DoD has ever developed. It features proven technology that promises to give America the most-advanced fighter
aircraft in the world for the next 20 years,`` said Secretary of the Air Force F. Whitten Peters.

The Air Force is confident the F-22 program will meet all performance requirements while delivering 339 aircraft within the
Congressional funding cap, the Secretary added. He and other senior Air Force officials are interpreting Congress` recent approval
of bridge funding to keep the F-22 on track as a sign of its faith in the program and the aircraft.

Last year, the F-22 program faced the challenging task of completing 11 DAB criteria needed to satisfy an LRIP decision by Dec.
31, 2000. Despite several delays, including the recent snow storms, it is now within days of completing the final two. So far, in
addition to flying the Block 3.0 software on Raptor 4005, the program has completed eight other criteria to include: critical design
review for the avionics Block 3.1 software, air vehicle final production readiness review, aircraft 4008 mate of the fuselage, wing
and empennage, and the first half engine qualification test. Also completed were flight testing high angle of attack with weapons
bay doors open, demonstrating missile separation for the AIM-9 and AIM-120, initiating fatigue testing, and completing static
structural tests. The remaining two criteria to be completed include first flight of Raptor 4006 and initiating radar cross-section
flight testing.

The Raptor contractor team, consisting of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, the Boeing Company, Seattle, Wash., and
Pratt & Whitney, Hartford, Conn. produce the F-22. Eleven major subsystem suppliers from across the country developed the
Block 3.0 software.

The F-22 will replace the F-15 as the Air Force`s next air superiority fighter aircraft.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

[Gatsby2]

Auch von den JSF-Testreihen gab es heute gute Neuigkeiten. Allerdings duerfte das politische Tauziehen um die Beschaffung noch recht spannend werden.

Friday January 5, 11:49 am Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Navy Flies Lockheed Martin JSF X-35C

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Navy got its first hands-on evaluation of the
Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) X-35C carrier variant (CV) on Dec. 22, as Navy pilot Lt. Cmdr. Brian Goszkowicz
logged his first flight in the supersonic demonstrator.

Goszkowicz took off from Edwards Air Force Base and flew a series of maneuvers in preparation for demonstrating the aircraft`s
ability to operate from a carrier. Maneuvers included an approach and practice wave-off, a straight-in approach to a touch-and-go
landing, and a full-stop landing. It was the aircraft`s fourth flight since first taking to the skies on Dec. 16.

During the 42-minute flight, Goszkowicz reached an altitude of 10,000 feet and a speed of 250 knots, describing the X-35C`s flight
path as ``smooth and predictable.``

Later the same day, Lockheed Martin test pilot Joe Sweeney continued the X-35C`s envelope expansion program with side slips,
rolls, high angle-of- attack maneuvers and landing-gear cycling.

``As a former Naval aviator, I can tell you I`m thrilled to get a Navy pilot behind the controls of the X-35C,`` said Tom Burbage,
executive vice president and general manager of the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter program. ``This is going to be an
outstanding carrier aircraft; it`s already shown that it is very stable. With each new flight, we`re seeing more and more of its
tremendous potential.``

The X-35C, designed to satisfy U.S. Navy requirements, features a larger wing and control surfaces than the other JSF variants,
and has an increased- capacity structure for absorbing catapult launches and arrested landings.

The X-35A conventional-takeoff-and-landing (CTOL) variant, built to U.S. Air Force specifications, successfully completed its
flight-test program on Nov. 22, 2000, logging 27 flights in 30 days and achieving supersonic flight on Nov. 21.

The X-35B short-takeoff-vertical-landing (STOVL) demonstrator is expected to begin hover-pit testing next month. Designed to
meet U.S. Marine Corps and British Royal Air Force/Royal Navy requirements, the X-35B features a unique shaft-driven lift fan
that amplifies engine thrust and reduces exhaust temperature and velocity during vertical flight operations.

``All of these aircraft not only have a high degree of commonality, but they are very highly representative of the JSF we`re
proposing to produce for our armed forces. That means the demonstrators we`re flying today behave like the production planes --
no surprises,`` Burbage said.

The single-seat, single-engine JSF will be a stealthy and highly sophisticated replacement for an aging fleet of U.S. and British
warplanes, including the A-10, F-16, F/A-18 and Harrier.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - news), in partnership with Northrop Grumman and BAE SYSTEMS, is competing to build the
JSF for the United States and United Kingdom. Government selection of a single contractor for the Engineering and
Manufacturing Development phase is set for fall 2001.

For corresponding photos, visit http://www.lmaeronautics.com/image_gallery/pr_photos/jsfpr_p….

For information on Lockheed Martin Corporation, visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com.

For information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, visit: http://www.lmaeronautics.com.

For government information on the Joint Strike Fighter program, visit http://www.jast.mil.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

[Gatsby2]

Und schliesslich noch mehr politische Nachrichten. Nachdem der neue Transportminister der U.S.A. schon ein ehemaliges Vorstandsmitglied von Lockheed ist, musste heute Lynne Cheney, traute Gattin von Dick Cheney, vom Board zuruecktreten. Sie wird u.a. Aufgaben bei American Express Mutual Funds und diversen `Forschungseinrichtungen` uebernehmen.

Friday January 5, 3:05 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin

Lynne V. Cheney Resigns From Lockheed Martin
Board

BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin today announced the resignation of Lynne V. Cheney from the
Lockheed Martin Board of Directors. Mrs. Cheney had been a member of the board since the time of the Lockheed- Martin
Marietta merger in 1995. She also served as a director of Lockheed Corporation from 1994 until 1995.

Vance Coffman, Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO said, ``Lynne will be missed. She has been a strong member of our Board
of Directors and an active member of our Finance and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees. On behalf of all our
Board members and employees, I thank her and wish her well.``

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development,
manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation`s core businesses are
systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin

[Gatsby2]

Nur wen es interessiert: Hintergrundberichte ueber die F-22

http://www.edwards.af.mil/articles99/docs_html/splash/f22upd…

[Gatsby2]

Das Wallstreet Journal hat jetzt einen noch etwas detaillierteren Aufsatz vom Stapel gelassen. Dabei werden sowohl die technischen, als auch die politischen Probleme ein wenig besser beleuchtet.

In technischer Hinsicht erwaehnt der Artikel zum einen Tests hinsichtlich der Ermuedungssicherheit des Airframe, wozu mir jemand mit besseren Einsichten in die Angelegenheit sagte, dass diese Tests nicht erforderlich seien; "der Airframe sei schlicht super". Anders sieht es bei den Avionics aus, die zwar schon in der Version 3.0 stehen, aber offenbar tatsaechlich noch nicht ausgereift sind. Der letzte Fortschritt auf diesem Gebiet waren erfolgreiche Tests der Integration des von Northrop Grumman gebauten neuartigen Bordradars.

Im wesentlichen erklaert sich die weitere Verzoegerung damit wohl aus politischen Erwaegungen. Die Airforce will die Maschine unbedingt haben, waehrend die Regierung Bush alle Neubeschaffungen von taktischen Kampfflugzeugen neu ueberdenken will. Bush favorisiert wohl klar die National Missile Defense (NMD), und er will im Bereich der Airforce primaer die Beschaffung von Transportern und Tankflugzeugen foerdern.

http://public.wsj.com/sn/y/SB978634272867458957.html

[Micky_Maus]

Da hatte ich mich doch zu früh gefreut, als Greenspan die Zinsen sage und schreibe 50Pkt senkte. Die Arbeitsmarktdaten waren gar nicht so mies, sodass weitere Zinssenkungen fraglich sind. Andererseits könnte Alan G. die Banken wie beim 87`er-Crash in Geld "ersaufen". Jedenfalls ist schnell wieder Ernüchterung eingekehrt.
Mit defensiven Aktien wie Lockheed, Raytheon oder Rockwell läßt es sich also weiter gut schlafen, obwohl die Nachrichtenlage gerade für LMT und BA schlechter wird.
Fazit: Man sollte keine Hightech-Aktien kaufen, wenn man das Geld nächste Woche wieder dringend braucht.

[Gatsby2]

Und weiter geht`s mit Trostpflastern zum Hinhalten. Wie ich schon sagte: die Airforce will die F-22 um`s Verrecken, aber die Politik braucht offenbar noch mehr Schmiergeld.

Monday January 8, 6:31 pm Eastern Time

US Air Force awards $350 million in F-22 contracts

By Charles Aldinger

WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT - news) has been
awarded two U.S. defense contracts totaling $304 million to extend through March the
company`s advance procurement of material for any future initial production of the F-22 fighter
jet, the Air Force said on Monday.

The award does not represent a decision by the Pentagon for the firm to begin initial low-rate production of 10 of the
next-generation F-22 stealth jets, designed to succeed the F-15 fighter, the Air Force said.

The service also said United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX - news) had been awarded $46 million to extend until March its
advance procurement of material for any order to begin initial production of 20 engines for the F-22.

``These are `bridge` contracts so that the companies can keep procuring equipment for any decision on initial production,`` Air
Force Lt. Col. Alvina Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the F-22 program at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio told Reuters.

Recent bad weather and a cautionary internal Pentagon report on the F-22 fighter delayed a decision planned last week on
production of the first 10 of the jets until at least later this month.

But some defense officials told Reuters the temporary problems could delay a production decision on the F-22 ``Raptor`` for
months after President-elect George W. Bush takes office on Jan. 20.

The Bush administration has promised a top-to-bottom review of all Pentagon weapons programs, including Air Force plans to
eventually buy 339 F-22s for more than $60 billion.

Defense officials said privately they doubted the program would be killed despite suggestions the new administration might skip a
generation of some high-tech weapons and vault ahead to more sophisticated hardware.

But the officials said a recent cautionary letter from the Pentagon`s director of operational test and evaluation, Philip Coyle, would
be given strong consideration in any decision to produce the 10 initial planes. Bad winter weather has also hampered key Air
Force testing of the jet.

Coyle told outgoing Defense Department acquisition chief Jacques Gansler on Dec. 20 there would be "unacceptable risk` in a
quick production decision because of questions about the F-22`s sophisticated avionics system and the need for further airframe
testing.

Published reports have also said the fighter jet is already several billion dollars over planned costs, although Lockheed Martin has
voiced confidence overruns could be made up once regular production begins.

[Gatsby2]

Jetzt `mal ganz was anderes, als immer nur Kriegsspielzeug. Lockheed Datensysteme ermoeglichten die schnellste und praeziseste Volkszaehlung aller Zeiten.

Vielleicht sollten die Amis das auch mal mit Wahlzetteln versuchen. Es soll da ja gelegentlich Probleme gegeben haben.



Monday January 8, 3:54 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Mission Systems

Lockheed Martin`s Data Capture System Processes 148 Million Census Forms
With Record Speed and Accuracy

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Population data reported recently by the U.S. Census Bureau was captured and processed as quickly and
accurately as any Census in history, thanks in part to Lockheed Martin`s Data Capture System 2000 (DCS 2000). In what has been termed the largest, most
complex data capture project in history, the DCS 2000 read the nation`s handwriting from nearly 148 million Census forms, processing the information quickly,
effectively, and with an accuracy rate of better than 99 percent.

The DCS 2000 supported the entire Census processing effort, from the time completed forms arrived at processing centers until the final captured data was collected
and archived on Census Bureau computers. It used cutting-edge optical character and optical mark recognition technologies to convert the hand-written text on
paper forms into digital information that was ready to be compiled and analyzed.

``This was not only the most extensive use of technology to process a Census, it was also the first time the Census has used automated recognition technology to read
handwriting. The DCS 2000 helped the Census Bureau capture more data in less time and with greater accuracy than ever before,`` said Terry Drabant, president of
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems.

Census data is indispensable to a variety of government and commercial pursuits. It helps determine where over $100 billion in federal funds are spent, including the
placement of new schools, roads, hospitals, libraries, and more. Businesses use Census figures when deciding where to build everything from factories and office
buildings to restaurants and supermarkets.

``The Census is really a very important resource for government and citizens alike, so of course it`s important that the data be as accurate and complete as possible.
That`s why we developed not only a highly sophisticated data capture system, but also a world-class quality assurance system,`` said Richard Taylor, DCS 2000
system architect. ``Sometimes forms come in damaged or torn, or they can be accidentally run through the system incorrectly or not at all. We wanted to make sure
that every form that came into one of the four national processing centers was scanned and accounted for.``

Every Census form has a unique bar code identification. When the forms arrived at the processing centers, each one was scanned and ``checked in.`` Then, as each
form passed through the DCS 2000, the captured data was matched to that form`s bar code. If the hand written data could not be captured, the system alerted an
operator who removed the form to determine the problem. Some forms needed to be keyed by hand, while others just needed to be run through again. Before the
forms left the center, each one was scanned once more and ``checked out.`` The computer checked to make sure it had captured all of the data from that particular
form. If not, it alerted a human operator who would pull the form and re-run it through the system. In all, 0.8 percent or about 1.2 million of the 148 million forms
were re-run through the system to ensure that all of the data was captured off of each form.

The overall Census processing was divided into two ``passes.`` The first pass captured the basic data needed for apportionment, while the second pass captured
more detailed social and economic data.

During the first pass, the DCS 2000`s accuracy rate for the critical optical mark recognition (OMR) was 99.89 percent, well above the 99 percent standard
established by the Census. For optical character recognition (OCR), the system boasted a 99.4 percent accuracy rating, again far exceeding the 98 percent
requirement. The second pass resulted in 99.88 percent accuracy for OMR, and 99.7 percent for OCR. The accuracy rates for manual keying of data were greater
than 97.6 percent, once again above the 96.5 percent goal.

The system`s accuracy also led to significant cost savings. ``This system is so dependable and efficient, we reduced the number of human operators needed to
support manual keying by as much as 75 percent,`` said Taylor. ``That reduced our customer`s labor costs substantially.``

A leader in mission critical systems integration and information operations, Lockheed Martin Mission Systems serves U.S. and international defense and civil
government agencies. Mission Systems employs about 2,600 at major facilities in Gaithersburg, Md., Colorado Springs, Colo., and Santa Maria, Calif., and is a
business unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise engaged principally in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of
advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation`s core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology services.

For additional information, visit Lockheed Martin Mission Systems` website: www.lockheedmartin.com/missionsystems .

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Mission Systems

[Micky_Maus]

Das Balkan-Syndrom macht mir auch zu schaffen, obwohl ich ja nicht direkt mit den abgeworfenen Bomben in Kontakt komme. Die Sache vermiest einem die Stimmung, vor allem, weil die US-Militärs dazu "No comment" abgeben. Die Militärstrategen der Sowjetunion waren dagegen richtig schwatzhaft. Naja, wie ich sehe, steigt Raytheon trotzdem...

[Gatsby2]

Die Performance von Raytheon ist schon wirklich interessant, und das obwohl es doch ausser dem Verkauf der Opto-elektronik an BF-Goodrich keine wirklichen Nachrichten gegeben hat. Sollten hier alle darauf spekulieren, dass der gute G.W.B. die NDM vorantreibt und damit Raytheon gute Auftraege beschert? Devise: buy on the rumor - sell on the news? ... Geruechte gibt es ja genug:
http://www.thestreet.com/comment/turnaroundartist/1231628.ht…

Lockheed war heute eher friedlich; so auch die Nachrichten: ausser allerei Wohltaetigkeitszeug gab es nun die Bestaetigung des letzten Geruechts: Das Pentagon friert Raketenlieferungen an Chile ein und gefaehrdet damit den F-16 deal von Lockheed:


Wednesday January 10, 4:25 pm Eastern Time

US defends bar on selling Chile missiles for F-16s

By Elaine Monaghan

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday defended a block on
exports of air-to-air missiles to Chile despite Santiago`s choice of a U.S. manufacturer to buy
the F-16 fighter jets that fire them.

Chile on Friday threatened not to sign a contract with Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT - news) unless the United States
rethought supplying the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) that can shoot down approaching fighter
planes from more than 100 miles (160 km) away.

U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a news briefing the package for 10 to 12 F-16s included the missiles, but
they would not be delivered until another country had introduced similar technology to the region.

``That`s basically a policy choice that says we do not like to introduce new capabilities or technologies into any particular region,``
Boucher said.

Asked for his response to comments by Chile`s Aviation Subsecretary Nelson Haddad that final talks to buy the F-16s might fail,
Boucher said, ``I don`t have any official reaction from the government of Chile, and I guess if there was one, we`d comment on it
then.``

Haddad told reporters in Santiago on Friday, ``Chile cannot accept restrictions and limitations. If during the course of negotiations
the air force`s needs are not satisfied, then unfortunately a final contract will not be signed``.

Made by Raytheon Corp (NYSE:RTNa - news) and Lockheed Martin, AMRAAMs have been sold to key U.S. ally Israel and
offered to several other countries, including Singapore and Gulf allies Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

CASE-BY-CASE SALE POLICY

Boucher said decisions about selling such missiles, which allow a pilot to fire at an approaching fighter long before they see each
other, were made on a case-by-case basis.

``That means, frankly, we sell some things to some countries that we don`t sell to other countries. That`s quite clear with regard to
NATO. It`s quite clear with regard to Israel,`` he said.

``Some countries we have technical cooperation programs that we might have not with other countries,`` he added. ``In this
particular situation, with regard to this region, we have taken the decision that we should not try to introduce new technologies in
this region.``

On Dec. 27, Chile said it authorized its air force to start negotiating a possible purchase from Lockheed Martin in a long-awaited
move to replace aging fighters.

The aircraft cost upwards of $25 million per unit, plus equipment and support costs, bringing the contract`s value to several
hundred million dollars.

Boucher said the United States was very pleased that Chile had chosen Lockheed Martin for the contract, which it won over
France`s Dassault Aviation , Sweden`s Saab AB and the U.S.-based Boeing (NYSE:BA - news).

President Bill Clinton opened the door to sales of high-tech U.S. warplanes to Latin America in 1997, when he ended a 20-year
ban on such exports to the region.

The policy shift reflected a desire to put Latin American democracies on a different footing compared to the days of the Carter
administration, which adopted the old arms sales policy at a time when most of the region was under military regimes.

The White House said at the time of Clinton`s policy shift that the U.S. government would seek to prevent an arms race in Latin
America.

[Gatsby2]

1/10/01 - N.Y. TIMES: CLINTON TO APPROVE SALE OF F-16 FIGHTERS TO
CHILE



Washington, Jan 10, 2001 (EFE via COMTEX) -- President Bill Clinton is expected to
authorize the sale of F-16 jet fighters to Chile in a move that breaks with the United States`
self-imposed ban on selling high-tech weapons to Latin America, The New York Times
reported Wednesday.
According to The Times, Chilean officials began meeting this week with representatives of
Lockheed Martin - the U.S. manufacturer selected by Chile to provide it with 10 to 12
F-16`s - to negotiate the deal.

The jet fighters cost $24 million each, making the deal - weapons systems and spare parts
included - worth approximately $600 million.

The Clinton administration first gave signs it would break with the moratorium established
by former President Jimmy Carter (1971-1975) in 1997 when it said it would consider
selling sophisticated weaponry to Latin America on a nation-by-nation basis.

After Chile submits a formal request specifying the model, number of aircraft and the type
of weapons systems desired, Clinton administration officials will present the request to
Congress for approval.

Chilean officials expect negotiations to last between two and six months, leaving the final
decision to the Bush administration, which is not expected to oppose the sale.

However, Chile said on Friday that a U.S. decision not to include the latest missile
technology in the sale could derail the deal.

U.S. policy bans the sale of arms to areas where similar weapons do not already exist, but
Lockheed officials quoted by The Times said they do not expect the deal to hinge on the
technology in question.

Once other South American nations possess similar technology, a missile system that
allows pilots to track and fire on targets they cannot see, the United States would allow the
sale of the so-called Amraam technology to Chile.

Opponents to the deal have argued that selling the warplanes to Chile could trigger an arms
race in South America. EFE

[Gatsby2]

DD-21 AND F-22 MOST ENDANGERED PROGRAMS: For all the hoopla over it, the
DD-21 faces a gantlet of obstacles emblematic of the broader problems that the armed
services and the administration of President-elect George W. Bush will confront as they
struggle to balance modernizing the military with paying for the upkeep of aging equipment.
Like the other services, the Navy is struggling just to pay for mundane things like fuel,
spare parts and paint. And long before it can expect to sail its first DD-21, in 2010, the
Navy says it must replace aging planes and rusting ships that are scheduled for retirement.
The Congressional Budget Office has predicted that the Pentagon budget will have to grow
by as much as $70 billion a year to maintain weapons systems while moving ahead with
new ones like the DD-21. Some senior Pentagon officials say the shortfall is well over
$100 billion a year. Yet Mr. Bush has called for increasing military spending by just $4.5
billion a year over the next decade. That means that Mr. Bush`s choice for secretary of
defense, Donald H. Rumsfeld, will almost surely have to cancel or postpone major
programs in development, defense analysts say. High on that list of potential victims are the
Air Force`s F-22 fighter, the most expensive jet in history, costing as much as $180 million
each; the Marine Corps`s V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, at as much as $80 million each;
and the DD-21, at $750 million each. Important decisions on the F-22, a stealth fighter for
air-to-air combat, could be made as soon as this week, when a Pentagon panel is scheduled
to decide whether to allow the plane to go into production. Though an outright cancellation
of the program seems unlikely, a chorus of F-22 critics in and outside the Pentagon is
calling for a postponement or cutbacks in the program, which has been plagued by
production delays and cost overruns. Advisers to Mr. Bush have also said they plan to
review the Pentagon`s fighter plane programs this spring. But the DD-21 is arguably the
most endangered of the big-ticket programs because it is the furthest from being
developed. While actual V-22`s and F-22`s are already flying, the DD-21, with its
radar-deflecting hull and futuristic electric propulsion system, exists mainly on drawing
boards at the Bath Iron Works in Maine, owned by General Dynamics, and Ingalls
Shipbuilding`s yards in Pascagoula, Miss., owned by Litton Industries. The two shipbuilders
are heading competing consortiums seeking to design the ship. (New York Times)

[Gatsby2]

Wednesday January 10, 5:57 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: General Dynamics

General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin DD 21 Leads Way
To Navy After Next - With a Crew of 95

DD 21 is First Ship Designed for Sailors From the Keel Up

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The team of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD - news) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:
LMT - news) announced today some specifics about its design of the Navy`s DD 21 land attack destroyer. Referred to as the
Blue Team, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works and Lockheed Martin said that their version of DD 21 will contain many key
innovations and will lead to the ``Navy after next.`` Integrated electric drive will enhance survivability and increase design flexibility
for all future combatants, dramatically changing how sailors live, work and fight at sea.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010110/DCW075LOGO-a Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010110/DCW075-b Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010110/DCW075-c Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010110/DCW075-d )

The Blue Team`s proposal, which was submitted to the Navy in December, will be for a ship with a complement of about 95-a
reduction of more than 70 percent compared to current surface combatants. Operations and support costs for the ship will be
reduced by 42 percent. This results in a reduction of more than 40 percent in total ownership costs to the Navy and the taxpayer.

General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin said that their multi-mission ship will attain littoral maritime dominance and bring
unprecedented land attack capability to the surface Navy by combining great survivability with unparalleled joint force
connectivity. Total ship systems integration supported by a new command and control architecture will achieve performance goals
that are both affordable and reliable.

The Blue Team DD 21 also has a dramatically reduced signature with its tumblehome hull and integrated topside design. The ship
will defeat any air threat. With its reduced acoustic signature and exceptional maneuverability, the Blue Team`s proposed DD 21
can defeat the mine threat-a key to being able to survive, fight and win in the littorals.

A ship`s company crew of about 95 (without the aviation detachment) can successfully execute all required missions, perform
maintenance and cleaning and conduct damage control over a six-month deployment. This assertion is based on extensive analysis,
modeling and simulation, and has been validated through interviews by Blue Team members with over 700 experienced fleet
sailors.

The Blue Team DD 21 will be operated by a 15-person watch team working in a highly automated bridge and an advanced
Mission Control Center (MCC) using multi-modal work stations and task-managed prompting. The MCC will control the entire
ship and replace today`s CIC, Sonar Control, Engineering Control Center, and Damage Control Central. The watch team can
concentrate on strategy and tactics, making decisions on accurate and relevant information. DD 21 will employ a four-section
watch to provide eight hours of uninterrupted sleep underway.

DD 21 is the first ship designed for the sailor from the keel up. Sailors will live in staterooms with a maximum of three people per
stateroom with privacy built into the design. Modern recreational and exercise facilities are complemented by an innovative food
service. Food service is achieved with a dramatic reduction in personnel. Using advanced technologies and a food service complex
designed for efficiency, a seven-person team (instead of the 80 or so on conventional ships) requires no augmentation by
temporary personnel. A ship-to-shore electronic interface provides on-line maintenance, administrative and medical support. It also
supports a video teleconferencing capability with family, as well as Internet and on-line education. Significant improvement in work
quality through the elimination of work such as paint chipping and mess cooking has been achieved in the Blue Team`s DD 21.

The key to DD 21 survivability is a damage-tolerant design. Examples include zonal distribution and redundancy, which will ensure
that power will be maintained, and that the loss of no single space will cripple the ship. In the event of damage, the first response is
through the Ship Systems Automation (SSA). SSA provides for extensive internal situational awareness to detect and react to a
damage event and begin the recovery process. SSA detects, isolates and contains damage much more effectively than
conventional approaches. Automation is augmented by Rapid Response Teams who will have the equipment and skills to handle
any event. They will use sensors, wireless communication, wearable computers/mini-cams and personal location devices to gain
and maintain total situational awareness, guided by a Readiness Control Officer in the Mission Control Center. DD 21 damage
control and recovery concepts presage the future for Navy Damage Control doctrine and tactics.

For more information, visit the Blue Team website at: http://www.dd21.com .

SOURCE: General Dynamics

[Gatsby2]

Diese Nachricht ist zur Zeit wichtiger, als es auf den ersten Blick scheinen mag.

Hintergrund: Die U.S. Marines sind die einzige Teilstreitkraft, die wirklich ein neues Flugzeug brauchen, und nachdem sich die Boeing Osprey als Flop erwiesen hat, kommt es fuer den von Streichungen bedrohten JSF mehr denn je auf die Senkrechtstarteigenschaften an:

Thursday January 11, 6:50 pm Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Lift Fan Installed in X-35B Following Successful Tests
of Lockheed Martin`s JSF STOVL Propulsion System

FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) team successfully installed the
shaft-driven lift fan in the JSF X-35B in less than three hours, as the short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) aircraft prepares for
hover-pit testing next month.

``The installation was a spectacular success. The lift fan went in very easily,`` said Scott Winship, STOVL product manager for
the team. ``A laser- alignment check verified that the fit is essentially perfect.``

The lift fan installation includes the fan, a vectored nozzle, clutch and all actuation and service systems in an integrated unit.
Hover-pit testing of the X-35B will begin next month at Lockheed Martin`s Palmdale, Calif., facility.

``Our propulsion team has recently run the fan for hours and hours on end, at very high power settings, without incident,`` said Tom
Burbage, executive vice president and general manager of the Lockheed Martin JSF program. ``The lift-fan concept has always
held clear advantages for an aircraft of the JSF`s dimensions. Now we`re showing that the hardware itself is ready and reliable.``

The unique lift-fan propulsion system -- a patented Lockheed Martin design -- differs from traditional direct-lift systems, such as
those used in the Harrier. Where direct-lift systems channel hot engine gases to achieve vertical flight, the Lockheed Martin
system uses a counter-rotating lift-fan - - located behind the cockpit and connected to the engine via a drive shaft -- as a primary
lifting force. The fan produces more than 18,000 pounds of cool thrust in hover flight, with an additional 18,000 pounds coming
from the main engine`s vectored aft nozzle and wing roll-posts. Because the lift fan amplifies engine power, vertical lift is achieved
at lower power settings, reducing rear exhaust temperatures and velocities and significantly improving the ground environment.

Rick Rezabek, X-35 product manager, said the fan`s precise fit required no adjustments after the installation, a remarkable
achievement considering the airframe had undergone rigorous flight testing (as the X-35A) and sustained high-g loads from Oct.
24 to Nov. 22, 2000.

``We were confident that our design, tooling and assembly work would validate our approach, and the actual installation has done
that in spades,`` Rezabek said. ``When you consider that this aircraft has been flown for a month in an aggressive flight test
program, it is even more impressive.``

The X-35B is designed to meet U.S. Marine Corps/Royal Navy-Royal Air Force specifications. The X-35A Air Force variant was
renamed the X-35B as installation of the STOVL propulsion system began. In the Lockheed Martin JSF design, the Air Force and
Marine Corps/Royal Navy-Royal Air Force variant share the same outer mold lines.

Lockheed Martin, in partnership with Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC - news) and BAE SYSTEMS, is in competition to build
the JSF for the United States and United Kingdom. Government selection of a single contractor for the Engineering and
Manufacturing Development phase is set for 2001.

For information on Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT - news), visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com

For information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, visit: http://www.lmaeronautics.com

For government information on the Joint Strike Fighter program, visit www.jast.mil

Corresponding photo is available at: http://www.lmaeronautics.com/image_gallery/pr_photos/index.h…

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

[Gatsby2]

Hopp oder Topp? Lockheed`s F-22 Programm ist an einer kritischen Schwelle angekommen: Faellt nicht in den naechsten Tagen eine positive Entscheidung des Pentagon ueber den Kleinserienstart, muessen viele Vertraege mit Zulieferern nachverhandelt werden. Das Kostenrisiko truege dann allein Lockheed Martin ...

Ausfuehrlich nachzulesen in der heutigen Online-Ausgabe der Washington Post:

http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49460-2001Jan11.h…

[Gatsby2]

... und hier die Sicht des Militaeranalysten. Hoffen wir, dass die U.S. Airforce ihre Wuensche durchsetzt ...

January 12, 2001; The Air Force is gearing up for a new offensive: to convince Congress
to pay for more F-22 Raptor fighters. The original plan for 750 Raptors died with the Cold
War, but the Air Force insists that the Clinton Administration`s plan for 339 of the aircraft
was generated by the budget and not by operational needs. They want another wing (72
fighters) in order to fulfill all of the requirements of fielding ten Expeditionary Air Wings.
Providing a squadron of 24 F-22s for each of the ten wings, plus training, attrition, and
maintenance spare aircraft, would require a total of 415 Raptors. Others in the Air Force
want to see 500 Raptors built. They argue that any future enemy would look at previous
wars and know that victory requires denying the US access to regional bases. That could
be done by political pressure or weapons of mass destruction. That could require the US to
operate from bases hundreds of miles away, and the F-22 with its considerable range
would be able to do this. Those seeking 500 Raptors promise to use them for defense
suppression and interdiction as well as for air superiority. Some in the Raptor program want
to see the Joint Strike Fighter canceled or scaled back dramatically, using Raptors to
suppress enemy defenses and allow older generations of aircraft to conduct the bombing
strikes.--Stephen V Cole

[Gatsby2]

RE: Micky Mouse (OT)

Micky, ich habe mich heute abend laenger mit Freunden unterhalten, die bei einer Firma arbeiten, die wir beide kennen. Einhellige Meinung ist, dass die Sache mit den Urangeschossen ziemlich unsauber ist. Das Zeug ist verwendet worden, weil neue Granaten zu teuer waren, und man lieber alte Geschosse `aufgeladen` hat, um ihnen mehr Durchschlagskraft zu verleihen. Hier zwei links, die die Sache naeher beleuchten:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Europe/2001-01/urani…

http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/01/14/stin…

Trotzdem einen schoenen Sonntag

[Gatsby2]

Kleiner link fuer Liebhaber von Spaceshuttles. Die online-edition der Baltimore Sun hat eine Zusammenstellung aller Arbeitsschritte, die notwendig sind um ein Spaceshuttle auf die Reise zu schicken:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/content/news/story?section=news&…

[Gatsby2]

Und hier noch eine Nachricht zum Joint Strike Fighter.

Die Royal Navy scheint ihn mehr zu moegen, als den Eurofighter ...



ISSUE 2060
Sunday 14 January 2001






Eurofighter snub as Britain buys US jets
By David Cracknell, Deputy Political Editor





News - Ministry of
Defence

News - Eurofighter
Typhoon

Joint Strike Fighter
Home Page

US Department of
Defence

Press releases -
BAE Systems







THE Ministry of Defence is to buy up to 150 American fighter planes for its
new generation aircraft carriers which will be a huge blow to the Eurofighter
project.

Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, will announce that the Government is to
spend £2 billion on the US Joint Strike Fighter rather than a converted marine
version of the Eurofighter.

Mr Hoon will make a statement to the Commons on Wednesday, claiming that
the US fighter is the "best of its type in the world", although the aircraft is still
on the drawing board. He will claim that British firms, including BAe Systems,
will have a chance to compete for some of the associated engineering
contracts, such as engine parts and electronic equipment.

The controversial decision will raise a new question mark over the beleaguered
Eurofighter programme. Although the British Government has ordered 232 of
the European jets, it has discovered that the Eurofighter cannot be converted
for maritime use because its bomb bays are too low and its take-off path is too
long for the two new aircraft carriers that the MoD has ordered.

Britain will purchase up to 150 US jets which will replace the RAF`s Harrier
jump jets and some Tornado aircraft from 2012. The US military will require
3,000 of the jets, the first of which is due to be delivered in 2008. Lockheed
Martin and Boeing are still locked in a battle to win the Pentagon contract.
They are offering various designs for the aircraft, including vertical take-off and
conventional take-off versions.

It has been agreed, however, that it will be a single-seater supersonic aircraft
capable for taking off from land or sea. The contract is likely to be the last
major deal of its kind, as the following generation of military aircraft is likely to
be unmanned.

[Gatsby2]

Und nochmehr Space-Nachrichten. Diesmal von der naechsten Mission zum Mars:

Next Mars orbiter babied to launch site

Builders move craftfrom Denver to Florida

By USHA LEE MCFARLING
Los Angeles Times

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- It took two years, $151million and dozens of
workers at Denver`s Lockheed Martin facility to bring NASA`s newest Mars
spacecraft to life.

And that was just the beginning.

Now Tim Welton has to get the 8,000-pound orbiter package to Florida for
launch. In one piece - without a dent, ding, torn thermal blanket or fried
circuit board that could derail the 350million-mile mission.

Scheduled for launch April7 and arrival at Mars on Oct.20, the orbiter will
search the planet for evidence of water ice just beneath the surface and will
scan for radiation hazards, a first step in seeing if Mars is safe for human
exploration.

Such a journey begins long before the spacecraft reaches the launch pads of
Cape Canaveral. For this orbiter, the trip started as it left the warehouse-size
clean room in Denver where it was created and began the perilous trip to
Florida`s "Space Coast."

On this trip, which started Jan.4, no precaution was too small. Technicians in
white clean suits and filmy beard covers danced delicately around the
spacecraft, grounding themselves so that stray sparks wouldn`t disable any
electronics. The men and women moved slowly and deliberately, gripping
tools tightly in latex-gloved hands and babying the machine.

"One wrong move and you`ve made a million-dollar mistake - and you don`t
know if it`s a project-stopper," said Dick Bryan, a 54-year-old geologist
turned spacecraft technician on the seven-person team that built the orbiter
for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

The mission is especially important to this Lockheed Martin crew. Many of
them worked on the two Mars probes that vanished in 1999 because of a
math error and a still-undiagnosed propulsion problem. This time, they need a
success.

"A lot of this mission, for the engineers at least, is about redemption," said
Guy Beutelschies, a 36-year-old JPL engineer who cut his teeth on the
Galileo spacecraft now circling Jupiter. He has spent the past three years
working on this Mars orbiter.

"The spacecraft is aptly named," said George Pace, the project`s JPL
manager. "Odyssey: a long journey with many stops along the way."

Space travel is very much about taking risks. But it is also about limiting them
- especially during high-stakes periods such as "moving day."

Welton, an intense 40-year-old bodybuilder and engineer in charge of the
logistics of the move, leaves nothing to chance. He started planning this trip
almost a year ago - before the spacecraft was even assembled.

The trickiest part of the trip is when Welton and his crew winch the
spacecraft into the belly of the plane, cross the country and then offload it.

The team starts by placing a protective crate around the spacecraft: a thick,
padded metal box that allows temperature and humidity inside to be
controlled. A simple red sign outside the white box reads: "2001 Mars
Odyssey."

The trip is completed and the orbiter is secured in NASA`s spacecraft
assembly building.

With moving day over, team members now have all eyes on launch day,
when they hope to safely shepherd their charge into outer space.

"It`s like your baby heading off," said Jim Young, a sometimes gruff, bearded
technician who has spent 20 of his 39 years working at Lockheed, following
in the footsteps of his father, a propulsion engineer on the Viking mission.
"You get all teary-eyed."

"A lot of this mission, for the engineers at least, is about redemp- tion."

Guy Beutelschies
engineer

[Gatsby2]

Monday January 15, 8:30 am Eastern Time

Press Release

LMGT Unveils Newest IP Satellite Networking
Terminal

The LinkStarTerminal Delivers Affordable Broadband Internet Access

BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 2001--Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications (LMGT) today announced
its latest broadband satellite networking product, the LinkStar(TM) terminal, which complements LMGT`s LINKWAY(TM)
product line.

LinkStar is a scalable, high-performance Internet Protocol (IP) terminal that provides broadband satellite forward and return
channels. This product allows Global Service Providers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and enterprises to offer broadband
Internet access by leveraging the unique advantages of satellite-based networks in providing point to multi-point transmissions.

LMGT will begin selling LinkStar terminals immediately, with product delivery expected in the third quarter.

``Today`s IP intensive networking environment requires efficient and affordable broadband solutions that can provide connectivity
over wide geographic areas that are underserved by DSL and cable,`` said Dr. Benjamin Pontano, president of LMGT Products.
``LinkStar terminals utilize the inherent global reach of satellite broadband to provide a consistently high quality level of service by
eliminating terrestrial network bottlenecks.``

LinkStar terminals allow users to pass more data through return links than other satellite networking products due to more efficient
coding techniques. The product also offers more effective throughput by using TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) acceleration,
bandwidth on demand, and an ``always on`` connection at the customer premise location.

The product supports applications such as:

-- Internet access
-- Digital media streaming
-- Video conferencing
-- Corporate Intranet and extranets
-- Distance education
-- File transfer
-- Virtual private networks (VPNs)
-- Multicasting
-- Other IP-based services

LinkStar terminals work with Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) size antennas, typically 96 centimeters to 1.8 meters in size,
that fit on building rooftops. It receives a broadband digital video broadcasting (DVB) outbound channel to 60 Mbps and provides a
broadband satellite return channel with speeds up to 1.150 Mbps. The hub gateway is a combination of LMGT propriety
technology and commercially available DVB compliant equipment.

For further information on LinkStar terminals, please call LMGT at 301/428-4065, or e-mail to [e-mail].

Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications (LMGT) Products develops and markets advanced communications products to
customers worldwide. LMGT, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT - news), is a premier
global provider of network services, security, and advanced technology solutions to enterprise customers.

LMGT is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland and includes the satellite, network and products assets of the former COMSAT
Corporation and the Integrated Business Solutions unit of Lockheed Martin.

Contact:

Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications (LMGT)
Emily Donavan (PTC)
Pager: 800/526-6728
Voice mail: 301/214-3309

[browser20]

Hello, ya`ll. This is Mr. LMT and saying hello.

[browser20]

I apologize but I do not speak German. A good friend of mine from Germany told me about this site and thought I would help bring some insight about Lockheed Martin. I work for LMT and if anyone wishes to ask me any questions/concerns, etc, I will try to answer. Especially, Mickey, maybe we can make a bet for dinner, sometime. Peace.

[browser20]

EUROPEANS CALL LAND-BASED MISSILE DEFENSE "UNTHINKABLE": European political and defense officials say any deployment of a land-based allied missile defense system on their territory is unthinkable. This, they argue, implies that the United States must shift the focus of its national missile defense plans to sea-based capabilities sooner rather than later if it has any hope of selling the idea to the European public. A French Defense Ministry official said, "National missile defense? Don’t even talk to us about it right now." Echoing this sentiment, Miguel Aguirre de Cárcer, director of Spanish-U.S. relations, security and disarmament at Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the so-called allied missile defense (AMD) debate should be framed in terms of a theater missile defense for Europe. "Such a missile defense, with a much more limited scope, would make more sense to discuss," he said. Nowhere is the topic of missile defense more sensitive in Europe than in Germany, where pacifist sentiment is strong and whose leaders are ever-worried about Russian reaction to the defense plans of NATO and, increasingly, to those of the European Union. "To put a land-based AMD on German soil is out of the question - now or in the future. Neither our public or government would accept it," said Detlef Puhl, chief spokesman for Germany’s Defense Ministry. "To do so would blow NATO apart." Not all NATO allies are so staunch in their opposition to hosting a land-based AMD in Europe. The United Kingdom and Washington, for example, are exploring the possibility of linking U.K.-based radar sites to the U.S. national missile defense system, while several southern European allies are open to discussions. Giampaolo di Paola, chief of cabinet at Italy’s Defense Ministry, said: "Ideally, it is our task to first seek a consensus on the European level whether we would support either a land-based or sea-based missile defense, and then pursue a good and close dialogue with the United States." But given Germany’s weight in the European Union and in NATO, its position on AMD will be critical. Indeed, Gerhard Schroeder, the German chancellor, told Wehrkunde Conference participants that "dialogue with Russia is critical regarding all these issues." One thing Schroeder’s government does not want is to antagonize Russia by stationing a missile defense system on German territory. Asked if this attitude in Berlin and elsewhere means the United States has to focus on sea-based capabilities, Detlef said: "Yes. It does." (DefenseNews.com)

[Gatsby2]

Gino,

Again: welcome to Germany! I cordially invite you to join the discussion in the latest thread Thread: Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT).

I am sure that you guessed my position already: NMD is rubbish! Unless it provides for some substantial scientific achievements the program should be abandoned.

America should press the E.U. and the European nations towards higher spending on defence and related matters, and North America should strive to join ranks with Europe in order to make NATO a more important factor inside U.N.

JMHO

[Micky_Maus]

browser 20,

welcome to this discussion about Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. At my opinion, raytheon is a better investment than lockheed, but we`ll see it. The question is, who is the first one about 40$, and i hope to win this competition to get a delicious meal. What`s your opinion about raytheon?

sorry my awful english. greeting from berlin.
Micky

[browser20]

Hi, Mickey. Being retired Air Force and having worked for LMT the past 14 years, I am very bullish on defense. Although, I do not have any stock in the following, GD, RTN, NOC, BA, I visit their message boards quite often to get a feel where they are headed. I firmly believe that what affects 1 major defense company reflects on the "family", the others.

As far as RTN, not as strong right now as the others. However, they are major players in missiles and the NMD program in the states. Should the F-22 and ot JSF get cut or cancelled, then RTN has a great chance to move up very rapidly. However, the decision for the F-22 is not until spring and JSF in the fall. So LMT has a great chance for 40 first. But RTN will not be far behind. Right now, Herr Gatsby2 has a pretty good lead, but he has some "help, I believe, in keeping up in both stocks. Do you own any RTN?

[Micky_Maus]

browser20,
I did not have any shares about this, neither RTN nor LMT.
I had some shares of LMT two years ago. Because the quotation was below 20$ a share, I bought this very interesting value. A few month later, I sell the shares with a very good profit.
Unfortunately I see the quote about 40$ and it was a mistake to sell to early. About RTN I think the market-value must be higher than LMT. We`ll see the development about NMD program.