Lockheed nets $40.3M contract for Trident II production and support.

Lockheed Martin Space has been awarded a contract modification for work on submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles, part of the nation's nuclear triad, for the U.S. Navy.

Trident II D5 Fleet Ballistic Missile (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)

The $40.3 million contract, announced Monday by the Department of Defense, covers production and deployed systems support for the Trident II D5 and is the latest in a string of contracts for the missiles issued to Lockheed this year.

The Lockheed division received a $494.8 million modification under the same contract for production and support on the Trident II at the end of September as part of ongoing upgrades and improvements to the missile system.

The Trident II D5 is the latest generation of the U.S. Navy's submarine-launched fleet ballistic missiles, following the highly successful Polaris, Poseidon, and Trident I C4 programs. First deployed in 1990, the Trident II D5 missile is currently aboard OHIO-class and British VANGUARD-class submarines and is a three-stage, solid-fuel, inertially guided missile that can travel as far as 4,000 nautical miles and deliver varying numbers and multiple types of reentry bodies.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, the Navy's Trident missile prime contractor, developed and produced the missile and support equipment. The company also supplies technical and logistical support at sites where the missiles are deployed.

The FBM team continues to build on a remarkable mission success track record. The Trident II D5 missile has achieved 167 successful test launches since design completion in 1989 -- a record unmatched by any other large ballistic missile or space launch vehicle.

The Navy has obligated the full value of the contract from fiscal 2020 weapons procurement and other procurement funds, with work under the modification expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2024.