FARNBOROUGH, England, 10 July 2012. The initial ground shelter for a vigilant "Dragon Shield" sensor system has been delivered to the Finnish Air Force by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]. The ground system will support a CASA C-295 aircraft that Lockheed Martin is modifying to accommodate a surveillance system for the Finnish Air Command.

Lockheed Martin has completed initial integration, including preliminary functional checks and calibrations, on the ground elements of the system for the Finnish Air Command. These ground components are completing final acceptance for delivery to customer locations. The key attribute of this system is an open architecture that will allow the system to be upgraded and reconfigured to support evolving mission needs.

The Finnish system includes a CASA C-295 aircraft that Lockheed Martin is modifying to accommodate a version of its Dragon Shield roll-on/roll-off mission suite, as well as the associated ground shelters and terminals.  Work continues on the aircraft modification, and integration of the payload is targeted for late 2012. After delivery of the aircraft and payload, the team will begin flight testing and full system integration and test activities.

The Lockheed Martin-led team includes Patria Oy, Rockwell Collins, Adam Works, DRS Technologies, Applied Signal Technology and L3 Communications. In addition to this core team, Lockheed Martin is working with Finnish industry as well.

Palletized systems that can be rolled on and off aircraft are offered as a Dragon Shield option in Lockheed Martin’s Dragon family of configurations. These six airborne and ground system configurations offer an approach that matches sensor requirements to budget and airframe needs. The Dragon Shield roll-on/roll-off mission suite is suited for aircraft that can perform multiple operational missions, such as airlift and reconnaissance.