The U.S. Strategic Systems Programs office has awarded Lockheed Martin a $540.8 million contract for work on the Trident II (D5) submarine-launched ballistic missile.
The contract will run through September, 2021, and will see Lockheed Martin provide missile production and deployed system support.
Apart from the U.S. Navy, Trident missiles are used on Royal Navy submarines and the United Kingdom is contributing $50 million to this contract.
The Trident II (D5) is a three-stage, solid-propellant, inertially guided ballistic missile with a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles (4,600 statute miles). Trident II is more sophisticated than Trident I (C4) with a significantly greater payload capability.
Trident II (D5) was first deployed in 1990 and is planned to be deployed past 2020. Fourteen active U.S. Navy Ohio-class and four Royal Navy Vanguard-class submarines carry the missiles.