Germany awards MEADS contract to Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) expects its Syracuse–area plant (town of Salina) will be among those working to support the MEADS program that the defense contractor will provide for Germany.

MEADS is short for medium extended air-defense system.

The German Ministry of Defence has chosen MEADS as the basis for Taktisches Luftverteidigungssystem (TLVS), a next-generation, network-based tactical air and missile-defense system.

MEADS will replace Patriot air-defense systems initially fielded in the 1980s, Lockheed Martin said in a news release issued today.

The release didn’t disclose any financial terms of the contract award, but multiple media reports say it could be worth up to $4.5 billion total for the companies involved.

Lockheed Martin will share in development of Germany’s TLVS with its MEADS international partner MBDA Deutschland, the Bethesda, Maryland–based firm said.

Besides Salina, Lockheed Martin also expects its plants in Dallas, Texas; Huntsville, Alabama; and Orlando, Florida will also support the German program.

Lockheed Martin’s plant in Salina is part of the company’s mission systems and training business segment.

MEADS has been developed through MEADS International, a “cooperative venture” between MBDA and Lockheed Martin. The TLVS program ensures “seamless continuation of this successful development partnership,” Lockheed said in the release.

“Lockheed Martin is fully committed to the success of TLVS,” Rick Edwards, president of Lockheed Martin missiles and fire control, said. “It reflects our continuing commitment to international partnerships and ongoing support for the German government’s leadership role in European missile defense.”

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) on Monday called it a “great day” for Lockheed Martin’s Syracuse–area operation.

“Central New York will greatly benefit from this contract with Germany. Adding and maintaining jobs in the region is one of my top priorities and I’m confident that this news means great things for the local economy. I recently met with German Ambassador Peter Wittig and conveyed my strong support for Lockheed Martin in Syracuse and their tremendous workforce. I explained how critical components of the MEADS missile defense system were engineered and produced in a plant I know very well, a plant with some of the best and brightest in the field,” said Schumer.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com