Germany has selected MEADS as its future missile defense system in a deal worth up to $4.5 billion that is expected to provided a boost to Lockheed Martin and its plant in suburban Syracuse, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday.Schumer, D-N.Y., said he was informed of the decision Monday afternoon by the German Embassy in Washington.MEADS, or the Medium Extended Air Defense System, was developed as part of an international consortium led by NATO partners in the U.S., Germany and Italy.
Officials at MEADS International and Lockheed Martin Corp. said they could not immediately confirm the German decision Monday afternoon.Germany had been considering whether to upgrade its future missile defenses with MEADS or its existing Patriot system developed by Raytheon Co.
The MEADS project is the largest in the history of the Lockheed plant at Electronics Park in Salina, accounting for a $625 million share of the MEADS development work over nine years. The Salina plant has about 1,600 employees.The suburban Syracuse plant developed the MEADS surveillance radar, which can search 360-degrees for incoming missiles, planes and drones and be hauled around on the back of a truck.
Schumer met several times with German Ambassador Peter Wittig in Washington to discuss MEADS over the past year, and German and NATO officials visited Syracuse to see a private demonstration of the surveillance radar."Today is a great day for Lockheed's Syracuse operation," Schumer said after he was informed of the German decision. "Central New York will greatly benefit from this contract with Germany. Adding and maintaining jobs in the region is one of my top priorities and I'm confident that this news means great things for the local economy."
Lockheed Martin officials did not immediately say what impact the contract will have on employment in Salina.Germany's decision to become the first nation to deploy MEADS is considered an important milestone since it serves as NATO's lead country for guidance about missile defense.
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