The U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Hill AFB, Utah has awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $996 million contract for the Mark 21A reentry vehicle (RV) for Northrop Grumman‘s [NOC] future LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM.
The contract “provides for conducting engineering, manufacturing, and design to provide a low technical risk and affordable RV for Sentinel,” DoD said in a contract announcement on Oct. 30. “Work will be performed in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and other various locations, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 20, 2039.”
The Air Force’s fiscal 2024 budget requests $475 million for ICBM reentry vehicles, an increase of $359 million from last year’s $116 million appropriation. The Air Force said that it plans to increase funding in fiscal 2024 for the Mark 21A Reentry Vehicle for the LGM-35A Sentinel, which is to be equipped with the W87-0 and then the W87-1 warhead. In 2019, Lockheed Martin received an Air Force technology maturation and risk reduction contract for the Mark 21A.
Sentinel is to achieve initial operational capability (IOC) in May 2029 to begin replacing the 400 Boeing [BA]-built Minuteman IIIs.
In June, six Republican senators, including Deb Fischer (Neb.), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s (SASC) strategic forces panel, introduced a bill to authorize multi-year procurement (MYP) authority for Sentinel (Defense Daily, June 22).
U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has said that he is not permitted to make decisions on Sentinel because of his previous consulting work for Northrop Grumman.
A Defense Department report sent to Congress in September last year indicated a possible 10-month delay in the estimated $95.8 billion Sentinel development effort.
While the Air Force has said that Sentinel is to begin flight testing by the end of this year, Kendall told the House Armed Services Committee in April that it will be a challenge for Sentinel to reach IOC on time (Defense Daily, Apr. 27).