Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
3/6/2015
The Air Force’s new Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) is estimated to cost $40-$60 billion overall, according to an industry official involved in program discussions. Budget documents indicate the Air Force has programmed about $945.9 million for the follow-on to the Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile in the five-year Future Years’ Defense Program, steadily rising from a $75 million request in Fiscal Year 2016 to a projected peak of $324.8 million in FY 2020. The service has not released an official total cost estimate for the program, but much of the spending is expected to take place in the 2020s and early 2030s, when the bill for other nuclear modernization efforts are also set to come due. The Air Force did not respond to a request for comment.
For Fiscal Year 2016 research and development on the GBSD, the government plans to spend about $31.8 million on weapon system integration, $22.8 million for the propulsion system, and $20.6 million on the guidance set. “Integration” entails the government exploring how to synchronize GBSD’s command and control, flight systems and infrastructure, as well as assessment of “the current MMIII launch and control facilities to determine the extent of degradation and evaluate for future upgrade or replacement.” Propulsion involves government efforts to “analyze, select, and assess solid rocket motors and associated components to support GBSD strategic propulsion requirements.” For Guidance, the Air Force will choose which instruments and electronic components will support GBSD strategic guidance.
Air Force Intends to Extend BAE’s Minuteman Contract to GBSD
The Air Force plans to initially field the GBSD in 2027. BAE Systems is the current Integration Support Contractor (ISC) under the Air Force’s Future ICBM Sustainment and Acquisition Construct (FISAC) to sustain Minuteman 3s beyond 2030, and budget documents indicate the service intends to award the company a contract modification in January 2016 to extend FISAC work to the GBSD. According to the Defense Department, the Air Force intends to give BAE $11.6 million in FY 2016 toward the modification.
The GBSD is scheduled in January to enter Milestone A, the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction Phase. This will move the program beyond the material development decision phase and into a new period designed to determine the appropriate set of specific technologies to integrate into the full system. The Air Force plans to award a Milestone A contract in March 2017, according to budget documents.
