Unit Recovered, Lockheed Martin "Thoroughly" Investigating

A couple of thieves made off with an Apache helicopter targeting system after breaking in to Lockheed Martin in Orlando by cutting a hole in a door Wednesday.

Surveillance tapes show two men in the process of stealing televisions from a nearby business and police believe the two incidents to be connected, as they occurred on the same night.

The TADS Electronic Display and Control (TEDAC), which controls the aiming and firing of helicopter weapons, was later recovered from some bushes near the Lockheed Martin facility. The company has a contract to refit the US Army's Apache fleet with the system, according to the Associated Press.

"Obviously, Lockheed Martin puts a high priority on security, and this will be thoroughly investigated," said Don McClain, Lockheed Martin's director of communications. "It appears that that was the only thing removed, and it was recovered."

It is still unknown why the TEDAC was abandoned, considering it is far more valuable than any television set. Maybe they thought the five-by-five inch screen was just too small.

"I would think if they were serious about it, they would have taken it or gotten away with it," Orlando police Lt. Shirley Coleman said.

John Pike, a military defense policy analyst and director of globalsecurity.org, agreed and said the unit would have been valuable to foreign governments wanting a peek at some U.S. military technology.

"They stole the wrong TV," Pike said. "They could have gotten a heck of a lot more for the one they dumped ... Generally, when you have something that valuable, you would have them better locked up, you would think."

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com