Lockheed Martin awarded $474M contract for Trident II D5 ballistic missile life extension

Lockheed Martin, the top-grossing defense firm in the world, has been awarded a new contract for U.S Navy Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile life extension program.

The contract, announced Friday by the Department of Defense, is worth more than $473,8 million and covers Life Extension 2 Strategic Systems Programs Alteration Advanced Development Program efforts.

Work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2026.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

The Trident D5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). The Trident II is considered to be a durable sea-based system capable of engaging many targets. It enhances the U.S. position in strategic arms negotiation with performance and payload flexibility that can accommodate active treaty initiatives. The Trident II’s increased payload allows nuclear deterrence to be accomplished with fewer submarines, and its high accuracy – approaching that of land-based missiles – enables it to be used as a first-strike weapon.

First deployed in 1990, the D5 missile is currently aboard U.S. Navy Ohio-class and U.K. Royal Navy Vanguard-class submarines. The three-stage, solid-propellant, inertial-guided missile can travel a nominal range of 4,000 nautical miles and carries independently targeted reentry bodies.

Lockheed Martin has been the Navy’s strategic missile prime contractor since 1955. The company also performs program management and engineering services for the Royal Navy under the Polaris Sales Agreement.

If you would like to show your support for what we are doing, here's where to do it.

If you wish to report grammatical or factual errors within our news articles, you can let us know by using the online feedback form.

Executive Editor

About author:

Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov is the editor-in-chief of Defence Blog. He is a journalist, an accredited defense advisor, and a consultant. His background as a defense advisor and consultant adds a unique perspective to his journalistic endeavors, ensuring that his reporting is well-informed and authoritative. read more

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

TRENDING NOW

Roshel’s new armored vehicles enter full production

Roshel Defence, a prominent name in the smart armored vehicle industry, has unveiled two new models now entering full production: the Senator Medical Evacuation...