Lockheed Martin Promotes OJ Sanchez to Lead $30B Aeronautics, Joins AI Integration Hackathon
LMT•Lockheed Martin Aeronautics President Greg Ulmer will retire after 30 years, with Orlando ‘OJ’ Sanchez taking over the $30 billion unit of 35,000 employees on June 1. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin has joined a Pentagon ‘Right to Integrate’ AI hackathon targeting data sharing across 50+ defense platforms.
1. Leadership Transition in Aeronautics
Greg Ulmer, who spent over 30 years at Lockheed Martin and rose from flight test engineer to Aeronautics President, will step down on June 1. Orlando ‘OJ’ Sanchez Jr., a former Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot who joined LMT in 2014 and most recently led Skunk Works®, will assume the role and Ulmer will serve as strategic advisor to ensure a smooth handover.
2. Participation in Pentagon AI Integration Hackathon
Lockheed Martin has been selected to participate in the Pentagon’s Right to Integrate hackathon, an initiative to embed artificial intelligence into existing military platforms and enhance system interoperability. The effort involves over 50 systems spanning air defense, drones and missile platforms, with contractors collaborating to build an open-architecture framework for faster, data-driven decision-making.
