FARNBOROUGH, England,
July 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Rafael Advanced Defense
Systems Ltd., of Israel, signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to evaluate potential markets and
customer requirements for Rafael's Smart, Precise Impact and
Cost-Effective (SPICE™) missile guidance kits.
"SPICE is a leading air-to-surface weapon system offering U.S.
and international air forces operating Lockheed Martin's platforms,
as well as strategic bomber aircraft, an important complement to
their existing operational capabilities," Yuval Miller, Executive Vice President, Head of
Rafael's Air & C4ISR Division. "SPICE's unique
features greatly enhance the U.S.' ability to operate in contested
environments. We are excited to engage in cooperation with Lockheed
Martin to make SPICE available as a U.S.-made system, adapted to
fully meet U.S. standards."
SPICE is a family of stand-off, autonomous, air-to-surface
weapon systems, capable of destroying targets with pinpoint
accuracy and at high attack volumes in a GPS-denied environment.
Combat-proven and in service with the Israeli Air Force and several
international customers, SPICE employs a state-of-the-art
electro-optical seeker with unique scene-matching algorithms,
navigation guidance and homing techniques to achieve operational
missions in adverse weather without GPS. The MOU covers the SPICE
1000 (453 kilogram / 1,000 pound weight class) and SPICE 2000 (907
kilogram / 2,000 pound weight class) precision guided missile kit
variants.
"Lockheed Martin has a long history of successfully providing
customers with missiles and missile systems that are affordable,
proven and in production," said Dan
Norton, vice president of Strategy and Business Development
at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "This partnership
will allow us to share our precision guided system and aircraft
integration expertise with allies that can benefit from the mission
flexibility that the SPICE 1000 and SPICE 2000 offer."
About Rafael
With a legacy of 70 years, Rafael
Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. designs, develops, manufactures and
supplies a wide range of state-of-the-art defense systems for air,
land, sea and space applications for the Israeli Defense Forces and
its defense establishments, as well as for international customers.
Rafael is the largest employer in Northern Israel with approximately 7,500
employees and numerous subcontractors and service suppliers.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a
global security and aerospace company that employs approximately
100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
This year the company received three Edison Awards for
ground-breaking innovations in autonomy, satellite technology and
directed energy.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin