The US Navy has awarded five agreements to advance prototype development of the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N), covering missile development, flight system integration and canister design.
The agreements were awarded on September 23, 2026, to five prime contractors, according to the Navy's October 6 announcement. Work is expected to be completed by December 31, 2027.
Leidos subsidiary Dynetics, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation Defense Sector were selected for flight system integration and missile development.
Furthermore, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems and Pacific Engineering will handle the development of the missile canisters.
The awards will initiate prototype work on the SLCM-N missile system and its associated canister designs. The effort was solicited through the Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) mechanism, managed by the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL).
The US Navy used Other Transaction Authority agreements, which allow the Department of War to pursue acquisition arrangements outside some traditional contracting frameworks.
According to the announcement, these agreements are intended to provide flexibility in working with both established defense contractors and nontraditional suppliers, including through partnerships tailored to specific development requirements.
The navy first deployed a nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile in the mid-1980s, when it placed the TLAM-N, a nuclear-armed version of the Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile, on surface ships and attack submarines. With a range of 2,500 kilometers (about 1,550 miles), the missiles were not included in the limits of US-Soviet arms control agreements.