Governor presents Maryland flag to be flown at company’s Middle River facility
BALTIMORE, MD (April 24, 2018) – Governor Larry Hogan today joined executives of Lockheed Martin at the company’s Rotary and Mission Systems facility in Middle River, where he toured the Vertical Launching System (VLS) production line. With the company’s first launcher introduced in 1984, the Vertical Launching System is the international launcher of choice for surface ships from the U.S. Navy and other countries’ navies and is the only system capable of launching anti-air, anti-submarine, surface-to-surface, and strike missiles. Following the tour, Governor Hogan met with more than 50 Lockheed Martin employees, and then presented company executives with a Maryland flag that will be flown along with the flags of all of the countries that use the VLS system.
“Lockheed Martin employs 450 talented, dedicated people at our Baltimore facility, and many of them joined me today in welcoming Governor Hogan,” said Rosemary Chapdelaine, program director and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Baltimore site. “Our team is full of proud Marylanders who work hard to support men and women in uniform for our nation and allies. It was an honor to show Governor Hogan around our site and introduce him to our team.”
“Lockheed Martin is a world leader and is committed to advancing innovative security solutions on a global scale,” said Governor Hogan. “With more than 2,600 employees in Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a great asset to our thriving aerospace and defense sector and a powerful selling point for us when we make the case to other companies across the nation and around the world that Maryland is a great place to do business.”
The company unveiled an upgraded VLS production line in 2016 after it was awarded a U.S. Navy contract for more than $250 million. In the system’s more than 30 years, it has engaged in more than 3,800 successful firings worldwide and has a more than 99 percent success rate. In addition to the U.S. Navy, the VLS is in service with 12 allied navies on nearly 200 ships.
