Lockheed Martin Makes Big Appearance at Farnborough International Airshow

Lockheed Martin exhibited a number of new technologies and made a big investment announcement at the Farnborough International Airshow last month. Here’s a quick recap for those of us who were not able to attend one of the world’s premier aviation and defense events.

The big investment: Lockheed Martin’s investment arm is pouring significant funding into European markets, with a newly announced plan to invest $100 million in defense companies across the continent (Breaking Defense).

• Lockheed Martin Ventures has seen a huge increase in available money this year. “In April, the fund doubled global investments from $400 million to $1 billion, Chris Moran, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s venture arm, told Breaking Defense.”
• The company said in a press release that investment is “part of the company’s commitment to strengthen the transatlantic defense industrial base”—a commitment shared by the U.S. government and other defense manufacturers.

A match made in helicopters: Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, announced a new agreement with Safran Helicopter Engines at the airshow.

• The two companies will deepen an existing relationship, collaborating on “power and propulsion technologies for Sikorsky’s next-generation aircraft,” according to Lockheed Martin.
• The partnership will focus on speeding up the design process and delivering solutions faster to commercial and defense companies—welcome news as the defense industries in the U.S. and Europe rev up.

Drone warfare: Speaking of defense technology, Lockheed Martin also debuted an important new anti-drone system at the airshow: the Morfius X-Rotor, a “ground-launched, airborne high-power microwave” that can take out more than 50 drones in one go, according to the company (Defense News).

• Morfius “sets a new benchmark for counter-drone capability—delivering a high kill rate while keeping the cost per kill low,” a company executive said in a press release.
• The company is accelerating the production of the drone and the HPM it carries, so it can be deployed faster on the battlefield.

A budget missile: Another cost-effective weapon introduced by Lockheed Martin was the PAC-3 ACE interceptor, a cheaper alternative to the Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missile (New Atlas).

• The lower price tag allows buyers to purchase more interceptors in total, an important consideration in the new age of drone warfare.
• “To cut costs and speed up production, the PAC-3 ACE uses the battle-proven PAC-3 algorithms. This also makes the new interceptor missile compatible with the current Patriot fire-control systems and the Integrated Battle Command System.”

Wild blue yonder: Lastly, the USAF F-35A Lightning Demo team performed an exhibition flight at the airshow in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II (AIN Online).

• This fifth-generation warfighter boasts “advanced electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities” and gave attendees a great show.