WASHINGTON — Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin said it will hire 1,800 new employees in the next two years, including 500 at a new Orlando office it just broke ground on.

Lockheed is one of the Washington region’s largest employers, with 9,000 employees based here out of 112,000 worldwide.

In Orlando, Lockheed’s new facilities will house employees supporting engineering, program management, and research and development activities for its Missiles and Fire Control division. That division primarily designs, manufactures and supports advanced combat, missile, rocket, manned and unmanned systems for the Department of Defense, NASA and allied nations.

“With this expansion, Lockheed Martin is further solidifying its already robust presence in Florida and supporting our business growth,” said Frank St. John, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control.

“The Research & Development II building underscores our customer commitments to provide the most modern facilities for our talented workforce to produce critical capabilities for the U.S. and allies for years to come,” St. John said.

The MFC site in Orlando will be staffed with employees that have experience in electro-optics, millimeter wave radar, image and signal processing, and large-system integration.