ORLANDO, Fla. _ Lockheed Martin leased a facility from SeaWorld Orlando just as reports surfaced that the defense contractor is developing a new, powerful missile that until now has been kept secret.
It's unclear if the new property _ a 136,000-square-foot office park space near Sand Lake Road and John Young Parkway _ would be involved in the development of the air-to-air missile, the AIM-260.
"We are experiencing tremendous business growth and hiring hundreds of employees at our Orlando campus. This facility directly supports that growth and will provide space for a variety of projects and programs," said Kaitlyn Arena, spokeswoman for Lockheed Martin.
Arena did not provide details on the facility's purpose or how many jobs it might create.
A spokeswoman for the Air Force, when asked if the AIM-260 is being developed in Orlando, said "funding and development locations are classified."
"Lockheed Martin is working with the Air Force to develop an air superiority missile capable of defeating current and projected enemy air threats," Ann Stefanek added.
Lockheed also recently opened a $50 million, 255,000-square-foot facility in Orlando to accommodate its growing number of contracts. Among other projects, the facility would house "work on a large classified contract that could not be discussed," Frank St. John, executive vice president of Missiles & Fire Control, told the Orlando Business Journal in February.
Lori Cherry, a spokeswoman for SeaWorld in Orlando confirmed the sale of the facility, but could not provide further details on its size or location. SeaWorld's corporate office did not immediately return requests for comment.
Aviation Week reported that Lockheed is developing the missile for the Air Force and Navy in response to China's PL-15 missile. The next-generation missile, also known as the Joint Air Tactical Missile, will have significantly greater range than Lockheed's previous creations.
Lockheed, which employs 8,000 workers in Orlando, won the contract for the project in 2017, Aviation Week reported, but kept it under wraps. U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Anthony Genatempo provided the first details about it at an event at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio last week.
In Lockheed's most recent earnings report in April, the company saw a 23% profit increase from $474 million to $585 million in the fiscal year's first quarter. Lockheed credited its controversial F-35 aircraft, which at the time cost $89.2 million per plane.
The Missiles and Fire Control department, the bulk of the workforce for which is in Orlando, also saw profits jump by 59% over last year and sales increase by 40 percent.
