Lockheed Martin [LMT] won hundreds of millions in U.S. Navy contract modifications for work on new procurement of Trident II (D5) submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) on Sept. 28.
The Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs awarded the company a $333 million cost-plus-incentive-fee cost-plus-fixed-fee modification for new procurement of Trident II deployed systems support.
The work will largely be split among Cape Canaveral, Fla. (29 percent); Sunnyvale, Calif. (27 percent); Kings Bay, Ga. (14 percent); and Bangor, Wash. It is expected to be finished by February 2020.
Subject to funding availability, FY ’19 Navy operations and maintenance (O&M) funds of $316 million and $17.4 million in U.K. funds are being obligated. In all, $316 million of the total funding will expire at the end of FY ’19.
The Trident II nuclear-armed ballistic missile is used by both the U.S. Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and British Vanguard-class submarines. The Ohio-class can carry up to 24 missiles each and the Vanguard up to 16 missiles. The follow-on ballistic missile submarines for both countries–the American Columbia-class and the British Dreadnaught-class–also plan to use the Trident II.
Relatedly, the Navy also awarded Lockheed Martin a $104 million modification to an earlier un-priced letter contract for new procurement of Trident II missile production, D5 life extension production, and D5 deployed systems support
The contracted work will primarily occur in Kings Bay Ga. (43.6 percent); Bangor, Wash. (42.4 percent); and various other locations and is expected to be finished by September 2023.
FY ’19 Navy weapons procurement funding of $34 million and U.K. funds of $3.7 million are being obligated at award time, with none set to expire at the end of this fiscal year. The Navy added that, subject to funding availability, $66 million in FY ’19 Navy operations and maintenance funds will be obligated as well. That $66 million will then expire at the end of fiscal year 2019.
Last March a joint Navy Lockheed Martin team successfully launched two Trident II D5 Life Extension missiles from the USS Nebraska (SSBN-739) submarine, the 166th and 167th successful D5 launches since 1980. This was done to certify the strategic weapon system and crew were ready for patrol and also providing more information on the D5 Life Extension missile configuration (Defense Daily, March 29).
The Life Extension missile reached initial fleet introduction in 2017 and features modernized electronics and upgraded avionics subsystems. Lockheed Martin previously said it expects the missile variant to be in service with the U.S. and U.K. through the 2060s.