CAMDEN, Ark., 13 April 2009. Lockheed Martin officially rolled out the new Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System launcher and fire control and communications unit today in a ceremony at the company's THAAD Launcher Integration Complex in Camden, Ark.

The ceremony, attended by U.S. Senator Mark Pryor and U.S. Congressman Mark Ross, commemorated the delivery of the first THAAD ground segment vehicles to come off the production line in Camden.

The new hardware will be delivered to soldiers at Fort Bliss, Texas, who will have a fully operational THAAD battery (equipment and personnel) by the end of 2009.

"This is truly a great day for air defenders," said Tom McGrath, vice president of the THAAD program at Lockheed Martin. "We are proud to deliver this proven air defense capability to our forces. We are seeing the incredible power of THAAD to protect our warfighters and population centers with each successful test flight, and now we are seeing the reality of production hardware rolling off the line."

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor and systems integrator for the THAAD Weapon System. The company's new 200,000 square-foot Launcher Integration Complex at Camden Operations currently has an employee population of approximately 600.