David J. Podlesney, a 34-year Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) employee, was inducted into the Global Positioning System (GPS) Hall of Fame for 2008 during a May 21 ceremony in Long Beach, Calif.
The Global Positioning Systems Wing of the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. established the GPS Hall of Fame in 1995 to recognize individuals who have made lasting contributions to the worldwide system. Previous honorees include GPS co-inventors Dr. Bradford W. Parkinson and the late Ivan Getting.
Podlesney was selected for this prestigious award for his outstanding engineering leadership and technical performance leading to the delivery, successful launch, and record-setting handover of the first modernized GPS satellite.
He was also cited for his role on several other achievements which include early fielding of the new L2C and M-code signals years in advance, allowing the warfighter and civilian users to benefit from early access; implementing an L5 demonstration capability for the GPS Wing one year after contract award; and launching 18 GPS IIR/IIR-M space vehicles to date that are providing superior navigation performance.
“We are proud to have Dave on our team and we congratulate him on being inducted into the GPS Hall of Fame,” said Rick Ambrose, vice president and general manager of Surveillance and Navigation Systems for Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Valley Forge, Pa., and its navigation payload provider ITT of Clifton, N.J. designed and built 21 GPS IIR satellites for the Air Force and subsequently modernized eight of those spacecraft, designated IIR-M, to enhance operations and navigation signal performance. Work on the final IIR-M satellite, which features the new L5 signal, was completed in March and is planned for launch this year from Cape Canaveral.
“I have always felt extremely fortunate to be a member of this great team and to work on a program that is vitally important to our military and civilian users around the globe,” said Podlesney, who joined the GPS IIR program in 1992 as chief engineer and became the GPS IIR/IIR-M program manager in 2000. “To be selected to join the GPS Hall of Fame is truly a privilege.”
The GPS constellation provides critical situational awareness and precision weapon guidance for the military. The worldwide system also supports a wide range of civil, scientific and commercial functions — from air traffic control to the Internet — with precision location and timing information.
Podlesney will also serve as Lockheed Martin’s program director for the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation Global Positioning System Space System program, known as GPS III. This program will improve position, navigation, and timing services for the warfighter and civil users worldwide and provide advanced anti-jam capabilities yielding superior system security, accuracy and reliability.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 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 2007 sales of $41.9 billion. Media Contact: Steve Tatum, 408-742-7531; e-mail, Stephen.o.tatum@lmco.com
