USAF awards another Mk21A contract modification
A USAF maintenance airman removes the screws holding the nose point of a Minuteman III ICBM to the rest of the re-entry system inside a payload transporter. (Photo: USAF Nuclear Weapons Center)
Lockheed Martin is to assist the much-needed US ICBM fuze modernisation programme, as the existing Mk21 fuze is already three times past its design life.
Lockheed Martin has obtained a $51.22 million contract modification from the USAF Nuclear Weapon Center to provide engineering services for arming and fuzing subsystem on the Mk21A Reentry Vehicle (RV).
Work will be performed at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by 31 October 2023.
The total cumulative face value of the contract is $255.31 million, the DoD noted on 4 August.
Budget documents from the USAF note that the ‘legacy Mk21 fuze is three times past its design life’ and it cannot meet requirements for the US nuclear weapons stockpile.
The USAF has requested $129.7 million for ICBM fuze modernisation in FY2022.
Lockheed Martin is already working on a technology maturation and risk reduction (TMRR) R&D contract for the RV, with a scheduled completion date of 21 October 2022.
The aim of the TMRR effort is to add the capability for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent system to deliver the W87-1 warhead.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Rheinmetall reports “boom” as results hit new records with orders for vehicles, ammunition and weapons]()
Rheinmetall reports “boom” as results hit new records with orders for vehicles, ammunition and weapons
Rheinmetall is riding high as Europe scrambles to boost its defence forces and replenish spent stockpiles sent to Ukraine.
-
![Leonardo projects €30 billion in revenue by 2029]()
Leonardo projects €30 billion in revenue by 2029
The forecast came as the Italian firm presented its new 2025–29 industrial plan to analysts, with its future figures bolstered by the European increase in defence spending.
-
![What does the US decision to pause Ukraine support mean for the war and the stock markets?]()
What does the US decision to pause Ukraine support mean for the war and the stock markets?
NATO and other Western countries had been singing from the same song sheet since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia three years ago but the alliance has been weakened as the new US administration under President Donald Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine.
-
![Ireland begins work on buying fighter jets and doubling the naval fleet]()
Ireland begins work on buying fighter jets and doubling the naval fleet
Since the release of Ireland’s Commission on the Defence Forces (CoDF) report two years ago there have been whisperings about the potential of Ireland buying fighter jets, one of the most ambitious recommendations. The prospect has now inched closer.
-
![UK defence budget increased to 2.5% by 2027 as geopolitical landscape darkens]()
UK defence budget increased to 2.5% by 2027 as geopolitical landscape darkens
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raises defence spending, while both NATO and President Trump demand significant further increases.
