Lockheed Martin buys new visualization tech for Joint Strike Fighter program.

Continuing its role in helping Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to reduce the costs, minimize the risks and maximize the performance of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, SGI Federal recently announced that Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. has purchased SGI (NYSE: SGI) advanced visualization technology to find the best ways to design, build and maintain the JSF.

The multimillion-dollar purchase order, booked and delivered in the June quarter, includes SGI Onyx 3000 series visualization systems as well as Silicon Graphics Fuel and Silicon Graphics Octane2 workstations. SGI workstations run CATIA engineering and design applications, while SGI visualization systems power Lockheed Martin's JSF flight simulation laboratory in Fort Worth, Texas.

In October 2001, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded a $19 billion contract to Lockheed Martin to produce and test an initial 22 F-35 JSF aircraft during the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase. Designed to replace the A-10, AV-8, F-16 and F/A-18, more than 3,000 F-35 JSF aircraft will be manufactured by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, Britain's Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, and Canada's Department of National Defense.

"Our JSF approach, enabled by SGI technology, will radically reduce the cost of sustaining U.S. airpower by ensuring affordability during SDD, production, operations, and support and by achieving operational excellence throughout the program," said Tom Burbage, executive vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin JSF Program.

"From the start of the JSF program in the 1990s, SGI advanced visualization and high-performance computing technologies have been instrumental in helping Lockheed Martin generate the most cost-effective, risk-free and performance-driven designs possible for this stealthy next-generation multirole strike fighter," said Tony Celeste, national director of defense business, SGI Federal. "With affordability and performance issues at the core of the F-35 JSF program, Lockheed Martin has come to rely on SGI visualization and HPC technologies to engineer higher-quality, lower-cost and more-competitive designs."

Advanced visualization and high-performance computing technology solutions from SGI enable collaborative decision making, expedite insights to complex problems and streamline project analyses. From advanced 3D modeling and simulation, digital prototyping, and digital manufacturing to group visualization, SGI transforms product-development processes, thereby enabling the aerospace industry to arrive at design optimizations in less time, experience enormous cost savings and reduce the time to market for new aircraft.

Lockheed Martin, headquartered in Bethesda, Md., is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The corporation's core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics and technology services.

SGI Federal, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, is an SGI company. It specializes in providing high-performance computing applications and solutions to civilian and defense government agencies. Celebrating its 20th year, SGI, also known as Silicon Graphics, Inc., is the world's leader in high-performance computing, visualization and the management of complex data. SGI products, services and solutions enable its technical and creative customers to gain strategic and competitive advantages in their core businesses. Whether being used to design and build safer cars and airplanes, discover new medications and oil reserves, predict the weather, entertain us with thrilling movie special effects or provide mission-critical support for government and defense, SGI systems and expertise are empowering a world of innovation and discovery.