EAGAN, MINN: Lockheed Martin recently delivered two of seven upgraded P-3C maritime surveillance aircraft for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan under the U.S. Government’s Foreign Military Sales program.
The most recent aircraft delivery occurred on Jan. 7 to the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Fla., for subsequent transfer to Pakistan. Lockheed Martin delivered the first plane in October 2009.
Lockheed Martin is upgrading the P-3Cs’ aircraft and mission systems and providing maintenance under a 2006 contract from the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command. The aircraft support anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare missions and will enhance Pakistan’s ability to conduct maritime surveillance in littoral and deep-water environments. The aircraft are designed to have a single integrated tactical picture of the battle space, drawing upon data from aircraft sensors and information from other platforms.
“These aircraft incorporate a variety of enhanced features including communications, electro-optic and infrared systems, data management, controls and displays, mission computers and acoustic processing,” said Mike Fralen, director for Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors’ maritime surveillance programs.
The P-3 is the primary maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft operated by the U.S. Navy and 16 allied countries. Its roles include anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance, search and rescue, drug interdiction, economic zone patrol, airborne early warning and electronic warfare.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.
