Lockheed Martin, the American defense behemoth, has formally registered its Israeli subsidiary with the Israel Corporations Authority, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Formally established in Beer Sheva in April, the technology-focused Israeli subsidiary is called Lockheed Martin Israel and will be the center of the parent company’s attempts to win more Israeli defense contracts.
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The official registration was made in August. The technology center is headed by former Israeli Air Force Brig. Gen. Shelly Gotman in the company’s Beersheba office.
Israel has been a center for military industries for decades, both in the production of weapons such as automatic rifles, tanks and missile defenses as well as new defense related high tech systems. The country is also one of the world’s largest benefactors of American military aid spending billions a year on military supplies in the U.S. market.
So a marriage between a leading American defense company and the State of Israel seems only natural. Lockheed stands to benefit from being close to the brain power of startup nation and Israel benefits from the creation of new jobs.
Haden Land, vice president of research and technology for Lockheed Martin, who is currently in Israel for talks with local officials, told the Journal that his company will look for partnerships, investments and acquisitions in Israel and that its Israeli branch will focus on cybersecurity, enterprise information technology, data centers and mobile, analytics,
“We’re going to methodically grow our footprint, ” Mr. Land told The Wall Street Journal.
“Lockheed Martin has been operating in Israel for the past 20 years. In April, we planted our flag by opening a tech center in Beersheba, and now we’re showing our commitment by incorporating Lockheed Martin Israel.”
“We’re hiring local people, we want to create [intellectual property] here, and we want to be part of this ecosystem, ” Mr. Land said.
“The DNA that’s inherent in this ecosystem has much potential, and that’s why I’m excited about these initial steps we’ve taken, ” he said. “The next step is deciding who we partner with. The size of the local company will grow in concert with our business opportunity.”
Haden Land oversees all of Lockheed Martin’s information-systems businesses, including defense and civilian commercial units. He also heads the company’s strategic partnerships and global innovation centers.
