Lockheed Martin [LMT] said yesterday it signed an agreement with the Italian Ministry of Defense to provide an Airborne Multi-Intelligence Laboratory (AML) aircraft for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.
The AML is a Gulfstream [GD] III business jet transformed into a flying test bed to expedite the testing and fielding of command, control and ISR (C2ISR) capabilities. The deal also includes three ground intelligence processing systems as well as flight crew and maintenance provided by Lockheed Martin. The aircraft and flight crew began supporting the Italian Air Force in April.
The agreement is for one year with an option to extend to two years. Italy has until February 2013 to execute its option. Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Suzanne Smith said in an email the company could not disclose financial details of the deal.
Under the agreement, the Italian Air Force will use the AML, with its full suite of intelligence computing capabilities that include signals intelligence arrays and forward-looking infrared radar (FLIR), in a live operational environment for the next year.
Lockheed Martin assembled a number of subcontractors to work on the AML, including L-3 Communications [LLL], Rockwell Collins [COL], FLIR [FLIR] and DRS Technologies.
“The AML has proved itself as an exceptional test platform for next generation intelligence sensors,” Jim Quinn, Lockheed Martin vice president of C4ISR systems, said in a statement. “We are excited to be under contract with the Italian Air Force to leverage this experimental ISR system into an operational environment.”
The agreement is a direct commercial sale and, therefore, not governed by Defense Department Foreign Military Sale statutes.