By Ann Roosevelt
Teams led Lockheed Martin [LMT]-Raytheon [RTN] and Boeing [BA]-Northrop Grumman [NOC] last week submitted proposals for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Development and Sustainment Contract to the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA’s) GMD Joint Program Office.
MDA has said it intends to award the contract May 31 and that the acquisition value is approximately $600 million per year with an initial period of performance of seven years. The GMD Development and Sustainment Contract is expected to provide development, manufacturing, test, training, performance-based logistics, operations and sustainment of the GMD element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System, which protects the nation, allies and friends against limited ballistic missile attack.
Boeing is the incumbent for the work (Defense Daily, Jan. 22, 2010).
Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO, Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said: “This development and sustainment contract proposal is backed by the full commitment of Boeing, Northrop Grumman and all of our team members. We have been privileged to have been partners with the Missile Defense Agency through the development and deployment of the GMD system, and now with Northrop Grumman, we will bring to GMD over 50 years of experience in sustaining and modernizing the Minuteman ICBM weapon system. We look forward to continuing that partnership in this next phase of the GMD program.”
Wes Bush, president and CEO of Northrop Grumman, said: “Our partnership with Boeing on this GMD proposal brings together the very best minds in the industry to help the nation improve its defenses against a threat that affords no margin for error.”
The Lockheed Martin-Raytheon proposal was delivered Jan. 27. “Quality, reliability, affordability, transparency, support to the warfighter and the defense of our country drive the fundamental elements of our proposal,” said Mathew Joyce, GMD vice president and program manager, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.
Frank Wyatt, Raytheon vice president of Air and Missile Defense Systems, said: “The Lockheed Martin-Raytheon team is ideally positioned to deliver this critical capability to the Missile Defense Agency and the nation. Our two companies fully understand this mission and the requirements that MDA has outlined.”
The Lockheed Martin-Raytheon team includes all the GMD original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). This will provide operational continuity, according to a statement from Lockheed Martin. The team includes: Alaska Aerospace Corp., ARES Corp., ATK [ATK], Bechtel National Inc., Bluespring Software, CohesionForce Inc., Dynetics Inc., Harris Corp. [HRS], Imprimis Inc., IroquoiSystems Inc., Mission Solutions Engineering, NANA Development Corp.’s ASTS-Akima Logistics Services Joint Venture, Northrop Grumman Information Systems as an OEM provider, Orbital Sciences [ORB], Oregon Iron Works Inc., Quadrus Corp., QuantiTech Inc. and TDX Power Inc.