Aero Turns 10
Three companies Became One

For some people it may be hard to believe and for others it may seem longer, but it has already been 10 years since three separate companies came together as one. In January 2000, the military aircraft operations in Marietta, Palmdale and Fort Worth were consolidated to become Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company.

To commemorate the company's 10-year anniversary, Aeronautics President Ralph Heath kicked off his new employee column "My Take on It!" to share his thoughts on what it means to work as one company.

In his first column, Heath said the transition was not easy . . . for anyone. "There were tough business challenges and cultural differences. Where you work is like being part of a family," he said. "Our goal was to keep those family ties and preserve the uniqueness of each site while at the same time achieving commonality in the things that would make us more competitive. We needed everyone working together to execute our programs, capture new business and deliver value to our customers and shareholders."

"The Aeronautics successes over the past 10 years are proof points that we are getting it right," Heath said.

He talked about our incredible fighters — the F-35, F-22 and F-16 — and our air mobility products. For example, the C-130J program was near extinction, but today enjoys an almost unlimited future. The C-5M, with its new engines and cockpit, is poised to become the strategic foundation of the U.S. Air Force for decades to come.

Heath said, "We kept Skunk Works® at the forefront of aerospace technology and grew our Global Sustainment business as we welcomed Greenville and Kelly Aviation Center back into the Aero family."

"There is no question Aeronautics is better today than it was 10 years ago," Heath added. "Every program has tough challenges, but we are stronger because we figured out how to harness the talent that was resident in three separate companies to help solve problems and enhance our competitiveness."

Together, our more than 28,000 employees are one company, one team.

< Back to Features

Back to Top