$145.4M for 130 Export ATACMS Missile Pods
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Grand Prairie, TX receives a $145.5 million firm-fixed-price contract modification to produce 130 ATACMS Block 1A export version T2K “unitary guided missile launching assemblies.” In English, that’s 130 MGM-140 ATACMS missiles and their launch container, which fits on compatible vehicles like the tracked M270 MLRS and truck-based M142 HIMARS. An ATACMS pod replaces a pod of 6 x 227mm guided rockets with a GPS-guided missile that can travel over 150 miles, delivering a 500-pound WDU18 unitary warhead at hypersonic speed. Export models will have to comply with the Missile Technology Control Regime, which limits range to under 300 km/ 186 miles.
The sale country was not named in this release, but the contract manager indicates a Foreign Military Sale. In recent years, public FMS requests for ATACMS missiles have been announced by the US DSCA for Bahrain, the UAE, and Taiwan. Armored M270 MLRS carriers with ATACMS missiles were also recently positioned near the border by South Korea, who can now hold the capital of Pyongyang at immediate risk if North Korean artillery decides to target Seoul.
Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, TX; Horizon City, TX; and Lufkin, TX, with an estimated completion date of Oct 31/13. One bid was solicited, with one bid received by the U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, AL (W31P4Q-07-C-0302).
