The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Hill AFB on Friday released a Request for Information for the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, detailing plans to retain the Minuteman 3’s silo basing mode while recapitalizing launch control center and launch facility infrastructure, replacing the entire flight system—including Booster Stages, Guidance, Reentry and Post-Boost Propulsion Systems—of ICBMs, and implementing a new command and control system for the ground leg of the nuclear triad. The Air Force wants to continue use of existing Mk 12A and Mk21 single- and multiple-warhead-capable Reentry Vehicles in the Minuteman 3 follow-on, the RFI states. The service aims for delivery of a first production unit in Fiscal Year 2027, and for a complete deployment of the GBSD by the end of FY 2034, the RFI notes. The government will not consider acquisition strategies that do not outline a GBSD fielding date of 2027, and strategies should maximize competition throughout the life of the program, the RFI states. “The Government will own the GBSD Technical Baseline,” the RFI reads. “This will be accomplished by the government owning key interfaces, specifications and ensuring Government ownership of technical data.”
The service’s questions for industry in the RFI include how interested companies are in serving as a prime contractor, subsystem contractor or both, and how much experience companies have in managing subcontractors on programs similar to GBSD requirements. Citing the “sensitive nature” of the GBSD, the RFI did not outline specific requirements, but asked industry about how achievable the requirements of the classified Capability Development Document (CDD) were, along with any risks the companies foresee, what mitigations they would propose in order to meet CDD benchmarks, and whether the requirements are testable/verifiable. While the service has not released any cost estimates for the next-gen ICBM, the RFI calls on industry to consider affordability goals in their responses. Industry is also called on to develop concepts based on a “modular architecture” approach, a component-by-component construction method by which different parts of the GBSD could be replaced piecemeal.
According to service documents, the Air Force intends to make certain aspects of the Minuteman 3 forward-compatible to the GBSD, including restoration and modernization of physical facilities such as launch tubes, power lines and waste water systems, and ground mechanical systems such as missile suspension and the ICBM grounding system. RFI responses for the GBSD are due by March 20. Hill AFB is hosting an Industry Day Feb. 18-20 to discuss the GBSD.
