Boeing remains prime on US Minuteman ICBM guidance system
The USAF has selected Boeing as prime contractor for the US's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) guidance subsystem support.
The contract, announced on 1 February, is worth up to $1.6 billion over 16 years and will be primarily performed in Utah and Ohio.
Boeing said it will maintain the ‘around-the-clock readiness and accuracy’ of the Minuteman ICBM guidance system to ensure safe, secure and effective strategic deterrence into the late 2030s.
The guidance system has logged more than 40 million hours of continuous operation.
‘We built the Minuteman’s guidance system, so no one knows it like Boeing. Our highly specialised facilities and top-flight engineers enable us to sustain it with unmatched quality and precision,’ Ted Kerzie, programme director of Strategic Deterrence Systems at Boeing, noted in a statement.
‘We look forward to continuing our partnership with the air force on this all-important mission.’
BAE Systems is also supporting the US's ICBM efforts. Last summer the USAF Nuclear Weapon Center awarded the company a contract with a potential value of $12 billion to continue providing integration and engineering services for ICBMs.
Work on this contract is expected to be completed at Hill AFB, Utah, by December 2040.
The main function of the Integration Support Contract (ISC) 2.0 is to support the LGM-30 Minuteman III, the next-generation LGM-35A Sentinel missile and any future ICBM developed during the term of the contract.
BAE Systems has acted as the prime contractor for the ISC since 2013.
More from Defence Notes
-
US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
-
Can the US overcome Russian and Chinese nuclear capabilities?
Washington’s ageing inventory and the pace Moscow and Beijing have been modernising their capabilities put in check the US Nuclear deterrence.
-
US FY2024 funding package passes as China closes military capability gap
The Pentagon has been operating under temporary funding since October 2023, which has impacted its main acquisition and development programmes, increasing the capability gap between the US and China.
-
NATO outlines future challenges as Ukrainian funding from US stalls
In 2023, defence spending increased by an unprecedented 11% across European NATO countries and Canada. Since 2014, the group has spent an additional US$600 billion on defence.
-
US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025
The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.
-
Haiti crisis forces Caribbean militaries to prepare for intervention
As gangs gain control of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s Caribbean neighbours have been preparing to intervene in the failed state, with the US and other partners waiting in the wings with equipment and financial support.