Rockville, Md., May 4th, 2009 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] welcomed four industry leaders in vascular pattern, speaker and signature recognition technology at its Biometric Experimentation and Advanced Concepts (BEACON™) center in White Hall, WV, today. The BEACON is a collaborative space that brings industry, government and academia partners together to explore directions and advances in biometric technology.

Industry leaders including Identica, PerSay Ltd., Speech Technology Center, Ltd. and Noninvasive Medical Technologies, Inc. offered attendees hands-on demonstrations of sophisticated biometric technology while discussing its application in law enforcement, homeland Security, defense and other arenas. In addition, academic biometric leaders such as West Virginia University presented leading edge research on next wave biometrics.

“Biometrics is such a rapidly evolving field – to have a more focused forum like this where we can collaboratively examine and discuss these leading edge technologies really helps foster diversity and evolve the industry,” commented John Mears, director of biometrics for Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services. “We’re fortunate to come together here in West Virginia, at a nexus of biometrics experts and interested individuals, to actively explore how this exciting technology can make a difference for the world’s citizens.”

In December 2008, Lockheed Martin hosted the “More Than Minutiae” forum to showcase advanced fingerprint and palm print technology. In addition to technology forums, the BEACON also hosts biometric experts for public lectures on relevant topics in the field. The White Hall, WV, facility is utilized by the company as a space for research and development as well as for work on biometrics programs.

Lockheed Martin is currently the lead industry partner for several major government biometrics initiatives, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) program and the Transportation Security Administration’s Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. The company was recently named the 2009 Global Biometric Systems Integrator of the Year by Frost & Sullivan.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.