Advertisement

Trident II D5 Test Launch
(click to view full)

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, MA received 2 contract modifications worth a combined $243 million to provide engineering support and repair services for the Trident II D5 guidance system.

The Trident II D-5, the sixth generation member of the US Navy’s fleet ballistic missile program, is a 3-stage, solid propellant ballistic missile with a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles.

Deployed aboard Ohio Class SSBNs and British Vanguard Class SSBNs, the Trident II uses the Mk6 LE inertial guidance system for navigation.

Unless otherwise noted, the US Navy’s Strategic Systems Program issues these contracts to Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, MA:

Dec 4/09: A $133.3 million modification (#P00003) under a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00030-09-C-0008) for the Trident II D5 guidance system tactical engineering support and guidance applications program.

Specific tasks include:

• provide tactical engineering support;
• provide Mk6 LE field support services;
• develop a strategic guidance application program;
• develop a GPS receiver design approach;
• provide support for the Extended Navy Test Bed (ENTB) and ENTB derivative reentry body experiments (ENTB is a special Trident reentry body used to test performance of the missile’s reentry vehicle guidance using GPS); and
• assess maintaining the accuracy of the existing reentry systems.

The contract modification increases the total contract value to $290.7 million. Work will be performed in Cambridge, MA (73%); Pittsfield, MA (21%); El Segundo, CA (4%); Clearwater, FL (1%); and Andover, MA (1%). Work is expected to be complete by Sept 30/11.

Dec 4/09: A $109.7 million modification (#P00009) under a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00030-08-C-0010) for repair of the Trident II D5 Mk 6 LE guidance system.

Specific tasks include guidance system repair and the delivery of Mk6 LE pre-production units to support 3 planned proofing test missile flights. The modification increases the total contract value to $547.6 million. Work will be performed in Cambridge, MA (82%) and Pittsfield, MA (18%) and is expected to be complete by Sept 30/12.

The Mk6 LE guidance system is a replacement for the aging Mk6 guidance system, which used 1980s technology that isn’t in production any more. The Next Generation Guidance (NGG) program aims to develop the Mk6 LE as a modern replacement that can achieve the same or better performance as the guidance systems that are breaking down. This requires development of precision instruments, sensors, and radiation hardened architectures, in order to adapt the underlying commercial technologies for use in a must-not-malfunction nuclear weapons system.

“Up to $141.4M to Lockheed Martin for Trident Navigation System Support” has more on a recent contract awarded Nov 24/09 to Lockheed Martin for engineering support for Trident II D5 navigation subsystems.