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Lockheed Opens Advanced Hypersonic Strike Production Facility

The facility integrates critical digital transformation advancements.

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Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin has opened its advanced production facility focused on hypersonic strike production in Courtland, Alabama.

Capitalizing on critical digital factory capabilities to deliver this technology, the company is working closely with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to deliver new 21st-century warfare capabilities.

Lockheed Martin has been manufacturing defense systems in Courtland since 1994, according to Sarah Hiza, vice president and general manager of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems at Lockheed Martin Space.

The 65,000-square-foot Hypersonic Missile Assembly Building 4 (MAB 4) is built on the digital foundation that Lockheed Martin has prioritized through mission-driven transformation efforts.

The second Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) production facility onsite, this location integrates critical digital transformation advancements such as robotic thermal protection application capabilities, smart torque tools and mixed-reality capabilities for training and virtual inspections.

The machines in this facility also will connect to the company's Intelligent Factory Framework early next year, which digitally links production facilities and assets across the Lockheed Martin enterprise to help enable unprecedented insights into the health, status and optimization of operations.

The Courtland site houses one of four transformational manufacturing facilities Lockheed Martin is opening in the United States within one year.

The programs produced at this site support several U.S. military branches and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, including CPS, Long Range Hypersonic Weapon and the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon.

Lockheed Martin has had a presence in northern Alabama for more than 50 years. Within the last two years, Lockheed Martin has added a total of 117,000 square feet at the Courtland facility. The opening of MAB4 will bring an estimated 70 jobs to the area, adding to the approximately 2,600 employees already based in the state.

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