Lockheed Martin announces UK Technology Roadmaps initiative as it joins MTC

Named the Technology Roadmaps initiative, it leverages expertise from Skunk Works to support the sovereign development and delivery of cutting-edge defence technologies to UK customers.

The company said the initiative introduces a grassroots model, focused on collaboration with small and medium UK enterprises (SMEs) while building on existing relationships with UK government organisations, academic institutions and industry partners in areas identified in the UK’s Strategic Defence Review.

Identified technology priorities include artificial intelligence, autonomy, cyber, material technologies and space manufacturing, and initial projects will focus on creating immediate capability from existing technologies. The initiative will share best practices, contribute to ecosystem learning and deliver purposeful innovation for the UK’s defence needs.

The announcement follows the successful delivery last year of Skunk Works first international project, the TIQUILA uncrewed aerial system programme for the British Army. Other recent successful Skunk Works UK activities include  “Project DEIMOS” live-fly demonstrations that showcased interoperability between the Royal Air Force’s F-35 fleet and NATO allies, and the collaboration with BAE Systems’ FalconWorks to develop a range of uncrewed autonomous air systems for global allies, announced at DSEI last September.

Tier 1 membership of the MTC will also see Lockheed Martin collaborate with that UK organisation on core research, capabilities and investments, and play a leading role in managing projects that address key challenges faced by defence industry supply chains.

“Lockheed Martin recognises that for the UK Government, defence is an engine for growth, and cooperation of this type delivers for the UK, the US and their allies - moving technology faster, driving supply chain resilience and creating shared economic growth for all parties,” said Paul Livingston, CBE, chief executive for UK and NATO at Lockheed Martin.

“The Technology Roadmap initiative with UK industry and partners such as MTC will help us build on the long legacy of transatlantic excellence to deliver mutual security benefits today and into the future,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.

Sir Rick Thompson, KCB, CBE, managing director of defence at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, said: “Lockheed Martin joining the MTC as a Tier 1 member sends a clear signal about the strength of the UK’s defence industrial base and our innovation ecosystem as it continues to grow in response to an increasingly uncertain world. By working with partners like Lockheed Martin, we can help companies across the supply chain adopt the technologies they need to compete, scale and seize the opportunities created by the government’s Defence Industrial Strategy as a driver of growth.”

Specific projects conducted in collaboration with the MTC will focus on delivering scalable, adaptable and agile manufacturing with reduced costs and lead times for customers. The efforts will concentrate on additive manufacturing, automation, augmentation and digital integration, addressing common challenges such as accelerating the delivery of new technologies to the front line.

The membership is also intended to accelerate SME technology readiness levels, helping emerging concepts progress more rapidly toward deployable solutions. The effort aligns with Lockheed Martin’s SMEUnite initiative which has grown to include over 180 British companies.

Headquartered in London, Lockheed Martin UK, the UK arm of Lockheed Martin Corporation, contributes around £2 billion to the national economy each year and sustaining around 26,000 British jobs – 2000 directly and 24,000 more across 800 supply chain partners, more than 500 of which are SME businesses.

As a trusted British-American strategic defence partner for over 85 years, it combines innovation, ingenuity and exploration to boost resilience, grow industrial capacity, sustain high-value jobs, and deliver meaningful economic impact on both sides of the Atlantic.

Lockheedmartin.com

www.the-mtc.org