17:43 GMT, September 1, 2010 FORT WORTH, Texas | An independently led team has rated Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) Aeronautics at Maturity Level 3 against the Capability Maturity Model Integration for Development, or CMMI-DEV version 1.2, following an extensive examination of processes in the company's major aircraft programs.

CMMI-DEV is a process model reflecting industry best practices for product development and process improvement. This is the second consecutive time Lockheed Martin Aeronautics achieved this maturity rating based on processes in its F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, F-22 Raptor, F-16 Fighting Falcon, C-130J Super Hercules and Advanced Development Programs. Systems and Software Consortium, Inc. (SSCI) led the audit which was completed on July 30 and the Software Engineering Institute confirmed acceptance of the results in late August.

"Maintaining our Maturity Level 3 rating demonstrates Lockheed Martin's commitment to continuously improving our program execution, customer satisfaction levels and ability to deliver high quality products," said Dan Crowley, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

CMMI was developed by Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute, which is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. The CMMI-DEV evaluation covered process management, project management, engineering and support process areas. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics demonstrated Maturity Level 3 compliance to the CMMI model using the Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI). The Class A SCAMPI covered multiple geographically dispersed sites and related systems, hardware and software disciplines.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is one of the larger organizations to earn the Level 3 rating and one of only a few with a company-wide CMMI rating that encompasses all operating sites. The assessment included artifacts and interviews from the company's primary facilities in Fort Worth, Texas; Marietta, Georgia; and Palmdale, California.