On May 21, local officials and Lockheed Martin executives and employees greeted the arrival of a British Royal Air Force EH101 Merlin Mark 3 helicopter for a short visit to Lockheed Martin's Owego facility on Route 17C. The helicopter's visit to Owego followed a 10-day tour of the nation's capital to demonstrate its performance capabilities to potential U.S. Government customers, including the U.S. Air Force, Marines Corps, and Coast Guard.

 Last year, Lockheed Martin and Agusta Westland (who designed and developed the original aircraft) signed a 10-year collaboration agreement to bring an American version of the EH-101 helicopter to U.S. markets as the US101. Bell Helicopter joined  Team US101 last month. Lockheed Martin-Owego will be prime contractor for all US contracts, as well as the systems integrator.

 Provided that Lockheed Martin is successful in winning several contracts, the company could add 500 to 750 jobs over the next 10 years. Sales of the US101 to the U.S. Government will enable Lockheed Martin to potentially create jobs for hundreds of technicians and engineers at the Owego facility over the course of the next decade. Job numbers will be determined by the number of aircraft that Lockheed Martin can sell to the U.S. Government. 

 Currently, Lockheed Martin Systems Integration - Owego employs about 3,900 people at facilities in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom.