John L. Martin Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 18 October 1920 Fairforest, South Carolina |
| Died | 15 November 2009 (aged 89) San Antonio, Texas |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service |
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| Years of service | 1940–1970 |
| Rank |  Major General |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
| Relations | Abner B. Martin (brother) |
John Landrum Martin Jr. (18 October 1920 – 15 November 2009) was a major general in the United States Air Force. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1940 and flew combat missions in Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers in the China-Burma-India Theater.
In 1960, he became deputy director of the Office of Missile and Satellite Systems in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. When the office was reorganized, he became the second National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) staff director. In 1964 he moved to El Segundo, California, as vice director and later director of special projects, also known as NRO Program A. He devised and implemented an incentive contract structure for satellite programs that was still in used decades later, and introduced changes to procedures for satellite component and system testing.
After he retired from the USAF in 1970, he became vice president for engineering and operations at the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT) in Washington, D.C., where he oversaw the development and deployment of the Comstar, Marisat and Aerosat communication satellite programs.