By Richard Abott
Defense Daily
Lockheed Martin on Jan. 30 won a $560 million modification to produce Trident II (D5) missiles for the U.S. and U.K.
The Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs awarded this as a cost-plus-incentive-fee modification for Trident II missile production and deployed system support.
The missile work will mostly be split among Magna, Utah (29 percent), Sunnyvale, Calif. (17 percent), and Cape Canaveral, Fla. (14 percent). It is expected to be finished by September 2023.
The contract announcement noted FY 2019 Navy weapons procurement funds of $412 million, other Navy procurement funds of $10 million, and $138 million in U.K. finds will be obligated on the award. No funds will expire at the end of this fiscal year.
The Trident II nuclear-armed ballistic missile is used by U.S. Ohio-class and British Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). The Ohios can carry up to 24 milles while the Vanguards can hold up to 16. Both countries are developing new follow-on submarines to continue the SSBN mission with the Trident II: the Columbia-class for the U.S. and Dreadnaught-class for the British.
In October the Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a $333 million modification for new procurement of Trident II deployed systems support and $104 million for new procurement of Trident II missile production as well as D5 life extension production.
Earlier, in March a joint Lockheed Martin-navy team launched two Trident II D5 Life Extension missiles from the USS Nebraska (SSBN-739) to certify the weapon system and crew were ready for patrol as well as to provide additional information on the D5 Life Extension configuration.
D5 Life Extension missiles were initially introduced to the U.S. fleet in 2017 and have modernized electronics and avionics subsystems. Lockheed Martin expects this missile variant to be in service through the 2060s.
This story first appeared in Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor affiliate publication, Defense Daily.
