Lockheed Martin UK – Ampthill has won a three year contract worth just over £1 million to retrofit and repair complex cable assemblies on the U.K. WAH-64 Apache LONGBOW Fire Control Radar (FCR).

Previously, the cable assemblies were refurbished at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Florida, having been shipped from the Special Repair Activity facility at RAF Wattisham, in Suffolk.

The new in-country capability will provide several programme cost benefits for the UK Ministry of Defence, including minimising shipping times, eliminating import/export issues, significantly reducing turnaround times and providing associated cost benefits.

Under the new arrangement, Lockheed Martin UK – Ampthill will be able to retain skills and expertise in the retrofit/repair area, with personnel transferred to the Peculiar Ground Support Equipment Ampthill facility, where the support activity will take place.

The contract continues through 2014, but has potential to extend into 2025, which would maintain FCR through-life support.

“This work will increase the efficiency of our support for the UK Ministry of Defence’s Apache fleet and return them to operations more quickly,” said Lockheed Martin UK Senior Programme Manager Lee Fellows. “We are hoping that this initial three-year contract can be extended as part of our commitment to Apache through-life support.”

Lockheed Martin UK, part of Lockheed Martin Corporation, is a leader in systems integration, working on major programmes spanning the aerospace, defence and civil sectors. Lockheed Martin UK works with more than 100 business partners and employs over 1,600 people at sites across the UK.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 132,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.