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D-5 vs. C-4 on right
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Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, CA received a not-to-exceed $853.3 million cost-plus-incentive-fee/ cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide support for production of Trident II D-5 ballistic missiles as well as maintenance of deployed D-5 and C-4 missiles.

The Trident C-4 has been in service since 1979, but the Trident II D-5 is more recent. First deployed in 1990, the D-5 is scheduled for operational deployment until 2042.

At the same time as it moves ahead with D-5 production, the US Navy is replacing D-5 missiles on 4 Ohio-class SSBNs with Tomahawk cruise missiles. “SSGN ‘Tactical Trident’ Subs: Special Forces and Super Strike” has more on that story.

The Navy recently tested 2 D-5 ballistic missiles from the USS West Virginia [SSBN 736] submarine in the Atlantic Ocean…

Trident II D-5 Test Launch
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The Navy launched the missiles Sept 3-4/09 as part of a Follow-on Commander’s Evaluation Test, which is required by the US Department of Defense’s National Command Authority.

For the tests, the missiles were converted into test configurations using a test missile kit that contains range safety devices and flight telemetry instrumentation.

The Trident II D-5, the sixth generation member of the US Navy’s fleet ballistic missile program, is a 3-stage, solid propellant, inertially guided ballistic missile with a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles. The D-5 missile is currently aboard Ohio Class SSBNs and British Vanguard Class SSBNs.

Under this most recent contract award to Lockheed Martin, mature D-5 production efforts will transition to a fixed-price-incentive contract in fiscal year 2011. Lockheed Martin expects to complete the work by Dec 30/13. Contract funds in the amount of $284,965 will expire at the end the current fiscal year. The contract was not competitively procured. The Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs in Arlington, VA manages the contract (N00030-10-C-0100).