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Lockheed Martin Case Study

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Lockheed Martin is a major security and aerospace company headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Employing over 97,000 employees worldwide, Lockheed Martin is principally focused on research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services (Lockheed Martin at a Glance, n.d.). Lockheed Martin is organized into broad business areas to include aeronautics ($17.8 billion in 2016 sales), missile and fire control (6.6 billion in 2016 sales), rotary and mission systems (13.5 billion in 2016 sales), and space systems (9.4 billion in 2016 sales) (Lockheed Martin at a Glance, n.d.). To better understand the global giant that is today’s Lockheed Martin, a historical look at the two companies that merged in 1995 and their respective accomplishments is essential. The Glenn L. Martin company was established by Glenn L. Martin in Los Angeles, California in 1912, after building a self-designed plane at the urging of Orville Wright (Lockheed Martin at a Glance, n.d.). A few month later and less than 500 miles away, Allan and Malcomb Lockheed founded the Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company, later renamed the Lockheed Aircraft Company, focused on seaplane construction (Lockheed Martin at a Glance, n.d.). Although the two companies would not merge until 1995, the impact, contributions, and legacy of these companies both prior to the merger and beyond have played a significate role in the defense industry and the overall defense posture of the United States. Both the Martin Company and Lockheed Aircraft Company had significant accomplishments prior to creating the joint company that is in existence today. The Martin Company was responsible for achieving the first major over-ocean flight, the first successful scout-torpedo bomber for the U.S. Navy, the first successful trans-Pacific flight in a Martin M-130 seaplane, development and production of the B-26 Marauder bomber for World War 2, the Pershing ballistic missile, and the Titan I intercontinental ballistic missile (Lockheed Martin at a Glance, n.d.). In 1961, the Martin Company merged with the American-Marietta Corporation to become the Martin Marietta Corporation. Additional contributions from the

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