Lockheed Martin is opening a new technology center in its Palo Alto research and development facility to focus on advanced optical systems that could be used in satellites, lasers, telescopes, and targeting systems, the company announced. The Optical Payload Center of Excellence will unite design teams into one “fast acting, collaborative unit to develop optical payload technologies that are more powerful, precise, and affordably than today’s systems,” the company said in a Sept. 10 release. The center will unite experts from across the world, from Lockheed, its industry partners, and leading research universities, allowing those experts to collaborate, develop, test, and produce advanced optical payloads and to find ways to deliver new capabilities faster and more affordable, states the release. The center “will benefit from the digital tapestry that links all stages of development, from initial concept and design to production and qualification,” said Rick Ambrose, Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Space Systems.
Navy CCA Program’s Shape Coming into Focus
Oct. 17, 2025
In announcing its Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract, General Atomics has provided some clues as to where the service is heading with its version of an armed, autonomous fighter escort. It will likely be quite different from the Air Force version.
