KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lockheed Martin Navigation Systems was awarded a $2.8M extension to the System Architecture and Requirements Definition study to assist the US Air Force GPS Joint Program Office (JPO) in the development of the GPS III -- the next generation of GPS satellite systems. The study will be based in King of Prussia, PA and linked with locations and contractors across the country.

"We look forward to working with the Joint Program Office, the operators, and users of GPS to refine our approach to the next generation of GPS. GPS III will provide a new foundation to improve GPS performance over the next three decades. We have assembled a creative and experienced team to help the USAF develop the concepts needed to pursue the system development and demonstration phase of the GPS III program," said Rick Skinner, vice president Lockheed Martin Navigation Systems.

The JPO, in cooperation with the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) at Los Angeles Air Force Base, is in the process of studying the requirements for analysis and Concept of Operations (CONOPS) development on a narrowed set of potential architectures. Navigation Systems brings to the study its Enterprise Team -- the best and the brightest Lockheed Martin has to offer -- as well as an array of significant capabilities, such as mission utility and simulation based acquisition.

GPS is a key factor in ongoing U.S. military operations worldwide. As the worldwide navigation and timing standard, GPS systems continually offer government and civilian users a large range of effective applications. GPS III technology is one of the most important new systems to military and civilian/commercial markets.

Lockheed Martin has been a leading architect of systems of systems development for the past 50 years. Today, the company is the nation's provider of GPS IIR satellites and is the largest provider of GPS enabled weapons as well as a major participant on the GPS ground Operational Control Segment. For GPS III, the company has leveraged its extensive experience on the GPS IIR program and enlisted experts from industry, academia and the international community to define best value architectures for this critically needed system.

Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, Navigation Systems is responsible for the GPS III architecture study and the GPS-IIR. In addition, Navigation Systems covers the broader functional areas of system of systems architecture and engineering, network architecture, and user applications.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - news) is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. Employing about 125,000 people worldwide, Lockheed Martin had 2001 sales of $24 billion.