The U.S. Navy on Dec. 16 awarded General Dynamics Mission Systems a $300 million sole-source contract for fiscal years 2020-2023 for U.S. and U.K. Trident II D-5 support work.
This specifically covers Trident II fleet ballistic missiles submarine fire control system, guided missile submarine attack weapon control system, and support equipment rework facility support. Most of the work will occur in Pittsfield, Mass., and is expected to be finished by December 2024. In all, $10 million will expire at the end of this fiscal year.
Trident II D-5 missiles carry W76-1 warheads furnished by the National Nuclear Security Administration. Some could soon carry the W76-2 low-yield variant that the semi-autonomous Department of Energy agency began producing last year.
The Donald Trump administration says the U.S. needed a rapid-strike, low-yield nuclear weapon to prevent Russia from using low-yield nuclear weapons of its own to win a conflict it could not win with conventional weapons alone.
This story first appeared in Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor affiliate publication Defense Daily.
