Portions of production for the Navy's Fleet Ballistic Missile program will be relocated to Lockheed Martin Space headquarters in unincorporated Jefferson County, at the Wateron Canyon site southwest of Littleton.

The project will move portions of the program's manufacturing capabilities and engineering positions across all disciplines, according to a news release. Lockheed Martin is pursuing local talent to staff a number of key roles, primarily in systems, electrical and mechanical engineering, project management and business operations.

“Lockheed Martin is a long-standing leader in Colorado's aerospace industry. We are thrilled to welcome its Fleet Ballistic Missile program to our state, and in particular to Jefferson County,” Gov. John Hickenlooper said in a news release. “The addition of hundreds of highly skilled, high-paying jobs in support of this vital national security program offers Coloradans quality employment opportunities and advances Colorado's reputation as Aerospace Alley.”

Jefferson County Economic Development Corp. worked on the expansion project in partnership with Jefferson County and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

“We are excited to partner with Lockheed Martin to bring the Fleet Ballistic Missile program to unincorporated Jefferson County,” Jeffco Commissioner Casey Tighe said in the release. “This will bring many quality employment opportunities, with this long-standing aerospace leader, to our highly skilled local talent.”

“We appreciate the continued support from our partners at Jefferson County EDC and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. We are thrilled to expand our presence in the community and are eager to add exceptional, local talent to the Lockeheed Martin team,” Eric Scherff, vice president of Navy strategic programs at Lockheed Martin, said in the release. “The Fleet Ballistic Missile program is a critical component of our nation's strategic deterrent and working in close partnership with the Navy we remain committed to solving their most complex mission needs.”

Lockheed Martin has developed, built and sustained six generations of submarine-launched ballistic missiles under the Fleet Ballistic Missile program. The current generation of missiles, designated Trident II D5, are carried aboard the Navy's Ohio-class submarines and make up the sea-based leg of the nation's nuclear triad. They are also carried aboard the United Kingdom's Vanguard-class submarine as that nation's sole nuclear deterrent. Lockheed Martin's contribution to the Fleet Ballistic Missile program has been anchored in Sunnyvale, California, since its inception more than 60 years ago.

Lockheed Martin established operations in Jefferson County in 1955 at the request of the Air Force, which wanted its new rocket facility to be built inland where it would be less vulnerable to enemy submarine attacks. During this time, Industries for Jefferson County (now Jeffco EDC) was formed to attract the Glenn L. Martin Company to the country.

Today, Lockheed Martin is Jefferson County's largest private-sector primary employer, with more than 6,200 employees.

Recently, the company broke ground on its new Gateway Center, which will be a $350 million, 266,000-square-foot satellite production facility. Upon completion, Lockheed Martin will have 3.5 million square feet of production, engineering, testing and office space at its 5,400-acre Waterton Canyon campus, making Jefferson County home to one of the largest satellite manufacturing centers in the world.