Lockheed unveils military lab

Officials at Lockheed Martin today unveiled the company's Center for Innovation, a multimillion-dollar laboratory to work on network-centric warfare capabilities that officially opens April 11.

Lockheed personnel at the 50,000-square-foot facility in Suffolk, Va., will work on military systems' rapid prototyping and collaborative experimentation. The company indicated that research areas to be covered include: force projection; homeland security; missile defense; logistics, surveillance and reconnaissance; and advanced command, control and communications and information operations.

The Center for Innovation is close to a number of military commands, national security and government agencies. Virginia officials supported the facility's development as part of efforts by the state and local governments to bring technology companies and jobs to the Norfolk, Va., area, said Keith Mordoff, a Lockheed Martin spokesman.

The Center for Innovation marks the fourth network-centric warfare facility built by large defense companies in recent years. Boeing has its Boeing Integration Center in Anaheim, Calif., Northrop Grumman maintains the Cyber Warfare Integration Network in Melbourne, Fla., and Lockheed Martin operates the NetForce Tech Center in Fairfax, Va.