Lockheed Martin Unveils Compact Fusion Reactor Which 'Could Provide Limitless Clean Energy'

An American defence company claims it is on the verge of launching a new atomic age with a truck-sized fusion reactor that could be tested in less than a year. Lockheed Martin expects to unveil a prototype of its compact fusion reactor (CFR) by 2020.

A decade from now it could be powering warships and in 20 years providing a source of virtually limitless clean energy around the world. Unlike conventional nuclear fission that relies on splitting atoms, fusion harnesses the same forces that drive the sun.

Lockheed Martin Will Furlough 3,000 Workers On Monday

BETHESDA, Md. -- BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Lockheed Martin says it will furlough 3,000 employees on Monday due to the government shutdown.

The big defense contractor said Friday that the number of employees put on furlough will increase weekly if the shutdown continues.

Lockheed Martin: F-35 Cancellation Would Mean Canada Out $10.5 Billion

MONTREAL - Canada's aerospace industry could lose about $10.5 billion worth of contracts over several decades if the federal government ultimately decides not to purchase the controversial F-35 Stealth Fighter, says a senior executive at Lockheed Martin.

Orlando Carvalho, executive vice-president of the U.S. defence giant, says Lockheed will honour $500 million worth of business already awarded to Canadian partners but that other work would be in jeopardy without a Canadian jet order.

Lockheed Martin announces three-year contract to Apex Industries to supply parts for F-35 fighter jets

PARLIAMENT HILL—The latest Canadian aerospace contract to supply parts for the Lockheed-Martin F-35 stealth fighter jet is for an initial term of only three years because of uncertainty over production rates at the F-35 assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas, says a top executive with the New Brunswick firm that won the contract.

Lockheed Martin announced the contract with Apex Industries of Moncton, N.B., on Monday, noting that more than 34 Canadian aerospace suppliers are contracted to supply parts for the F-35 production at Lockheed Martin and Canadian firms have won more than $500-million since Canadian participation in development of the fight jet began in 2002.

Lockheed Martin’s top sales guys pitch F-35s in Ottawa; Canuck test pilot says fighter jets have 50 per cent further range than CF-18s

PARLIAMENT HILL—Two of Lockheed Martin’s top salesmen for the F-35 stealth fighter jet were in Ottawa Thursday for a round of media interviews, in the wake of a recent U.S. government report about development glitches for the trouble-plagued warplane and opposition criticism about high costs, to argue the F-35 is not only the best buy for Canada but also for future protection of Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic.

Lockheed Martin executive says F-35s will deter 'potential adversary countries' Russia, China

PARLIAMENT HILL—A top Lockheed Martin official has for the first time publicly named China and Russia as “potential adversary countries” that pose the kind of threat the controversial F-35 stealth fighter jet is being designed and built to meet.

In a Sun News TV interview about opposition to the Conservative government’s decision to acquire a fleet of 65 F-35s for the Canadian Air Force, Lockheed Martin executive Steve O’Bryan defended the aircraft and, in response to a question from interviewer Lorne Gunther, explained why the U.S. and other members of an F-35 consortium feel the sophisticated and costly new warplane is required.

F-35 Milestone – Stealth Fighter Successfully Drops Bomb While in Flight

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 successfully released a weapon while airborne, the first time the stealth fighter has dropped a bomb while in flight.

The test, using an inert 1,000 lb. GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), was done Wednesday, Stephen O’Bryan, Lockheed’s Vice president for F-35 program integration, told Defence Watch.

Lockheed blamed for causing evaluation delay of 2 months

A top procurement official issued an ultimatum to U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin Thursday over its refusal to allow Korean pilots to conduct test flights of its F-35 fighter jet.

“Seoul may eliminate the F-35 from its fighter jet acquisition competition if Lockheed Martine does not comply with our demands,” Oh Tae-shik, head of the program management agency at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), told The Korea Times.

Is the Air Force's F-22 fighter jet making pilots sick?

Military officers rarely speak out against their services, but in our lead story you'll hear from two elite pilots who question the safety of Air Force's most sophisticated, stealthy, and expensive fighter jet, the F-22 Raptor. Maj. Jeremy Gordon and Capt. Joshua Wilson have chosen to stop flying the F-22 because they say during some flights they and other pilots have experienced oxygen deprivation, disorientation, and worse. They are concerned about their safety in the air, as well as the long-term health consequences. The Air Force says it is doing all it can to investigate and solve the problem, and are keeping the jets in the air with careful supervision of the pilots.

The following script is from "The Raptor" which originally aired on May 6, 2012. Lesley Stahl is the correspondent. Karen Sughrue, producer.

The shiniest jewel in the Air Force is its F-22 Raptor, a sleek, stealth fighter jet that the Pentagon says can outgun and outmaneuver any combat plane anywhere in the world. But for all its prowess, the Raptor has yet to be used in combat. It was designed to go up against an enemy with a sophisticated air force, which means it sat on the sidelines during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, leaving its 200 pilots to fly mainly training missions.

Lockheed Martin strike to make F-35 even more expensive

When all is said and done, the cost of the United States' F-35 jet fighter program is expected to exceed the entire gross domestic product of Spain. But will it be worth the decades of research and $1.5 trillion price tag?

Even with the Pentagon expecting to take another seven years to complete a working fleet of the fighter jets, the status of the program has already spawned reviews that include words like “calamity” and “huge disappointment.” Now things come very soon be getting even costlier as the thousands of workers responsible for the aircraft have walked off the job.

Not only did the US Defense Department announce this week that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s fourth production run is now expected to cost the Pentagon more than half a billion dollars more than originally expected, but unionized workers at the Lockheed Martin factory that handle the production of the aircraft are now on strike for the second week in a row. Voicing concern over how management will not budge on issues pertaining to the health and pension benefits for workers, nearly 3,650 workers at the Fort Worth, Texas Lockheed plant walked off the job last week.

Lockheed Martin, Maker Of F-35 Stealth Fighter, Interested In Building Canadian Search Planes

OTTAWA - Lockheed Martin, builder of the controversial F-35 stealth fighter, is lining up to make a bid on the Harper government's planned purchase of fixed-wing search-and-rescue planes — an idea that's apparently being warmly received in deficit-minded Ottawa.

The giant U.S. manufacturer, the world's largest defence contractor, is preparing a bid to build more Hercules transports for the air force, say several defence and industry sources.

A spokesman confirmed the interest, but was coy on the details.

"We look forward to seeing the detailed statement of requirements and look forward to offering a cost-effective, affordable solution," Peter Simmons, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin, told The Canadian Press.