Lockheed Gains $357 Million Hellfire II Production Contract

The Army gave Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] a $357 million deal to produce more Hellfire missiles, the company announced today.

They will go to U.S. and allied forces, with delivery beginning in 2010, and contract options possible in 2009 and 2010 that could extend full-rate production through 2013.

The contract also provides options for major additional orders in 2009 and 2010. If exercised, the options will sustain full-rate production through 2013.

Options also include more than 200 training missiles and up to 1,200 missile variant conversions.

Hellfires have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan, with more than 6,800 rounds fired from multiple platforms.

More than 22,000 rounds have been delivered since production began in 1994. Some 16 other nations also use Hellfires.

Lockheed Gains Army Deal For $80 Million More ATACMS

The Army gave Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] a contract for $80 million more Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Unitary missiles, the company announced.

This will bolster the nation’s long-range tactical missile reserve.

Deliveries will begin in August 2010 and conclude in March 2011. Work will be conducted at Lockheed facilities in Dallas and Horizon City, Texas.

NASA Provides $34.8 Million Contract Change To Ames Facility Contract

NASA gave Jacobs Technology Inc. a $34.8 million contract change for facilities services at the Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., the space agency announced.

Jacobs, of Tullahoma, Tenn., will support testing and facility operation, development projects, and maintenance and repairs on wind tunnels and other facilities at Ames.

All work will be performed at the center under the contract, which runs through July 31.

This modification brings the total value of the contract, originally awarded in June 2004, to $123.8 million.

Orbital To Build Intelsat-18 GEO Satellite

Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] will build a satellite for Intelsat, Ltd., Orbital announced.

The Intelsat-18 (IS-18) commercial communications satellite will be the 18th bird that Orbital has built for Intelsat.

IS-18 will be based on the Orbital STAR-2 platform and will generate about 4.9 kilowatts of payload power. The satellite will carry 24 C-band transponders to cover the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and 12 Ku-band transponders to provide services to the United States, French Polynesia, Australia, New Caledonia and other Pacific Islands.

After launch and deployment, the spacecraft will be located in geosynchronous orbit (GEO) at 180 degrees East longitude.

This is the 24th GEO communications satellite ordered from Orbital. The IS-18 satellite will replace Intelsat’s IS-701 spacecraft.

In other recent Orbital business, the AMC-21 satellite recently was launched for SES Americom, and the company is preparing to ship the NSS-9 satellite to its launch site in coming weeks for SES New Skies.

IS-18 is the third to be ordered this year for satellites based on the Orbital STAR-2 platform. In April, the company announced SES Americom had ordered the AMC-1R spacecraft, and in May Orbital announced that it had teamed with Thales Alenia Space for the STAR-2 based Koreasat-6 satellite to be built for KT Corporation in South Korea.