ORLANDO, Fla., 22 Feb. 2010. The LONGBOW LLC., a joint venture of Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and Northrop Grumman [NYSE: NOC], won an $86 million contract from AgustaWestland to support LONGBOW FCR systems on the United Kingdom Apache AH Mk-1 aircraft.
The four-year contract includes engineering services, integrated logistics and an in-country repair capability. Support services will continue through March 2014, and will be performed at Wattisham Airfield in the United Kingdom; Lockheed Martin facilities in Ocala and Orlando, Fla; and Northrop Grumman facilities in Baltimore, Md.
In all weather, over multiple terrains and through any battlefield obscurant, the radar allows automatic and rapid multi-target engagement. The LONGBOW FCR integrates with the M299 smart launcher and the LONGBOW HELLFIRE missile, enhancing the Apache helicopter's lethality fourfold and increasing survivability sevenfold.
"The LONGBOW FCR is an essential element of U.K. Apache operations in Afghanistan," says Jerry Garman, LONGBOW LLC president and director of LONGBOW programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Through this partnership with AgustaWestland, we will ensure the highest operational availability and system reliability at the lowest sustainment cost."
The contract is a component of the integrated operational support provided by AgustaWestland to the Ministry of Defense. A formal signing ceremony at the United Kingdom Apache main operating base at Wattisham Airfield in October marked the launch of this effort.
