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Innovating Hydrogen Technology Solutions

Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) continue to work together to explore hydrogen fuel cell technology in real-world applications to reduce carbon emissions. Researchers placed an NRL-developed hydrogen fuel cell in a Lockheed Martin Stalker unmanned aerial system, which resulted in increased endurance and range of the aircraft, enhanced operational flexibility, and reduced environmental impact. The NRL hydrogen fuel cell combines hydrogen fuel and air from the environment to produce electricity and water, with the latter as the only byproduct.

Improving Lives Through Satellite Imagery and Data

Lockheed Martin builds advanced satellites that ensure everything from weather forecasts to power grids run smoothly every single day. The company has created four weather satellites for the GOES-R program, with the final satellite launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in June 2024 and operating until the early 2030s. With their advanced instruments and rapid updates, the GOES-R series has been providing more timely and accurate weather forecasts. This has ensured early warnings, disaster preparedness and resource management to ultimately help save lives and mitigate economic losses.

The company also builds the U.S. Space Force’s current and future Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. The positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) support provided by these GPS satellites helps people get where they need to go, serves as the backbone for banking, supports power grid timing and enhances global farming activities, to name a few. GPS satellites also play a vital role in military operations, providing critical PNT data for field assets, delivery of supplies and troop navigation. By ensuring the accuracy and reliability of GPS signals, we help keep troops safe on the battlefield and enable them to return home safely.

Contributing to Hurricane Research and Relief

Lockheed Martin will build two new “Hurricane Hunter” aircrafts, which serve as flying laboratories for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The contract was awarded to Lockheed Martin in 2024 for the specialized C-130J Hercules aircraft. NOAA Hurricane Hunters currently use two Lockheed WP-3D Orion aircraft dubbed “Miss Piggy” and “Kermit” to gather critical weather data. In the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton in late 2024, Lockheed Martin donated a total of $2 million to help those impacted by the devastation in the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia—$1,000,000 to the American Red Cross, $500,000 to Rebuilding Together and $500,000 to Florida food banks.

Increasing the Sustainability of the F-35 Lightning II Program

Lockheed Martin continues to find new ways to reduce pollutants and create cost savings for the F-35 Lightning II program. In 2024, we successfully implemented the Solvent Reclamation Pollution Prevention project that uses a distillation process to remove paint residue and impurities from used cleaning solvent, allowing it to be reused. This has reduced hazardous waste, waste disposal costs and future solvent orders. Before this project, the solvent was single-use and required off-site disposal after usage.

Synthetic Fuels Boost Mission Readiness for the F-35 Fleet

The first Norwegian F-35 fighter jets using synthetic aviation turbine fuels (SATFs) were successfully flown in January 2025 at Ørland Air Station in Norway, signaling progress toward reducing emissions while maintaining operational flexibility and strengthening mission readiness. The fuel is comprised of up to 50% synthetic fuel blends derived from renewable and non-renewable sources, mixed with conventional jet fuel. These non-renewable fuels are sourced from coal, natural gas, and other fossil-based materials while renewable sources include waste oils, agricultural byproducts and other sustainable feedstocks. This advancement not only provides a versatile and reliable alternative to conventional jet fuel, ensuring operational consistency and performance, but it also aligns well with the Department of Defense’s goals in fuel diversification, bolstering the fleet’s ability to adapt to supply chain disruptions or regional fuel constraints ensuring resilience even in the most challenging scenarios.

Improving Employee Wellness

We are committed to supporting the health and well-being of our employees who drive our mission success. In 2024, we began offering Calm Premium to nearly all employees globally, an app designed to help teammates manage stress, improve sleep and live a healthier life. Calm Premium is offered through our Optum Employee Assistance Program, which also provides access to confidential 24/7 support and many other resources, mental health screening assessments, and eight no-cost confidential counseling sessions per issue, per year.

Unlocking the Potential of a Neurodiverse Workforce

Lockheed Martin continues to seek opportunities to attract and retain talent in critical skill areas. In 2024, Lockheed Martin partnered with the University of Connecticut Center for Neurodiversity and Employment Innovation to provide training focused on tapping into the unique skills and strengths of neurodiverse employees, and the factors impacting engagement and retention. Human resources professionals and hiring managers received the training and the content will soon be available to all employees.

Reducing Wildfire Risk

Lockheed Martin has long been committed to wildfire mitigation. Our history of supporting rapid responders and impacted communities includes our specialized aircrafts that fight fires and our intelligence capabilities. We have artificial intelligence and machine learning prototype capabilities that are designed to help agencies and partners identify the potential for wildfires igniting from lightning strikes. We also offer near real-time data to wildland firefighters to aid them in their mission of predicting, detecting, and mitigating wildfires.

In 2024, we brought home our focus on fire prevention through a more simplistic and cost-effective method: through a partnership with Goat Green, we welcomed 1,200 goats to our Littleton, Colorado, facility to consume overgrown vegetation on the rocky, cumbersome terrain that can fuel wildfires. Overgrown vegetation and droughts can create ideal conditions for wildland fires—two factors Colorado has in abundance.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Ethical Innovators

At Lockheed Martin, we are committed to voicing our values. To raise awareness about business ethics and contribute to the ethical development of the future workforce, Lockheed Martin hosts an annual Ethics in Engineering Case Competition for college and university students. The 7th annual competition in 2024 challenged participants to consider a hypothetical situation to determine the responsible use of artificial intelligence in assisting NASA to accurately quantify the risk of a collision between a detected asteroid and Earth. Rice University took first place, followed by The Citadel in second place. The six semi-finalists included Drexel University, Michigan State University, Penn State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University, and University of Southern Mississippi.

Last updated: May 2025