Global security company !%Lockheed Martin Corp.,%! based in Bethesda, Md., has been awarded a $34.5 million contract from the US Air Force for the production of paveway II Plus laser-guided bomb GBU-12 kits. The majority share contract includes deliveries to both the Air Force and the US Navy and is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2011. The kits improve weapon accuracy and reduce risk to US and allied ground forces when compared with legacy paveway laser-guided bombs. They implement a newly integrated combined hardware and software system. The Air Force completed a Force Development Evaluation Program in October 2010 for paveway II Plus laser-guided bombs, which included GBU-10 and GBU-12 weapons that were released from F-15 Eagle and F-16D Viper aircraft.