Norway Identifies Lockheed Martin Integrated Weapon SystemAs Preferred Option for New Navy Frigates
;MOORESTOWN, N.J.--- Lockheed Martin has been advised that its proposal to provide the integrated weapon system for a new line of frigates for Norway is presently considered the preferred weapon system solution by the Royal Norwegian Navy. ;The Royal Norwegian Navy Materiel Command has notified Spanish shipbuilder Empresa Nacional Bazan, the integrated platform system supplier and leader of the Bazan/Lockheed Martin team competing for the program, of its current preference for the Lockheed Martin option. Bazan, in turn, informed Lockheed Martin. The potential value of the integrated weapon system is in excess of $500 million. ;"We are pleased and encouraged by this news,'' said Joseph D. Antinucci, president of Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems. "The Norwegian Navy's indication of its preference for Lockheed Martin as its integrated weapon system supplier will place the Bazan/Lockheed Martin team in a strong position to ultimately play a major role in this important new frigate program.'' ;Under the procurement process employed by Norway, the Royal Navy has commenced contract negotiations with the Bazan/Lockheed Martin team. It is as yet undetermined whether any other team will be invited to enter into negotiations with the Royal Norwegian Navy at a later date. The completion of negotiations and a contract signing are anticipated before the end of 1999. ;Lockheed Martin has proposed an extremely comprehensive process for establishing long-term relationships with key members of the Norwegian defense industry to include their participation in the design, production and support of the integrated weapon system for the new frigates and for other surface ship programs in the United States and worldwide. The Lockheed Martin integrated weapon system is comprised of systems provided by U.S., Norwegian and other international companies. ;Lockheed Martin's integrated weapon system bid is based on the U.S. Navy's AEGIS combat system, for which Lockheed Martin serves as prime contractor and design engineering agent. Other notable elements of the integrated weapon system solution include a version of the SPY-1 radar, which is the heart of the AEGIS system; an antisubmarine warfare system based on the SQQ-89 system, developed for the U.S. Navy by Lockheed Martin; and the MK 41 Vertical Launching System, the below-deck missile launching system designed and developed by Lockheed Martin and deployed on U.S. Navy ships and those of allied nations. ;Accordingly, the Bazan/Lockheed Martin offering ensures a high degree of interoperability between the maritime forces of Norway, the U.S. and their allies, making combined missions easier to execute. ;E.N. Bazan was established in 1742 as a shipyard devoted to the Royal Spanish Navy and is now fully dedicated to design and construction of vessels for both the Spanish Navy and the international market. E.N. Bazan employs more than 5,000 people in three facilities. ;Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems, headquartered in Moorestown, New Jersey, provides surface ship and submarine combat systems, antisubmarine warfare and ocean surveillance systems, missile launching systems, radar and sensor systems, ship systems integration services, and other advanced systems and services to customers worldwide. ;Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems is the largest business organization in Lockheed Martin Electronics Sector, a leader in the design, development and manufacture of advanced electronic systems for global defense, aerospace, civil and commercial markets.
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Norway Identifies Lockheed Martin Integrated Weapon SystemAs Preferred Option for New Navy Frigates
