By Ann Roosevelt
Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Alaska Aerospace Corp., Friday said they are partnering to pursue the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Development and Sustainment contract.
The two companies will apply their experience “to ensure the reliability and readiness of the GMD element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System,” they said in a statement.
The GMD Development and Sustainment Contract will entail development, manufacturing, test, training, operations and sustainment support.
MDA issued an amended draft request for proposals (RFP) for GMD Development and Sustainment May 14 and has said it will issue a final RFP this summer and award the contract in 2011. In addition to Ft. Greely, Alaska and Vandenberg AFB, Calif., GMD Development and Sustainment Contract work will be performed in Huntsville, Ala., at Schriever AFB, Colo., and at Eareckson AS, Alaska.
In January, Lockheed Martin said it was interested in competing for the GMD work, as did Northrop Grumman [NOC] and Boeing [BA]–the incumbent (Defense Daily, Jan. 22). Earlier this month, Northrop Grumman and Boeing formed a strategic partnership to pursue the development and sustainment work (Defense Daily, June 16).
Mathew Joyce, GMD vice president and program manager, Lockheed Martin, said, “Alaska Aerospace will be a key contributor to an open government-industry partnership that will ensure responsiveness and mission focus.”
Alaska Aerospace will provide operations and maintenance support at Ft. Greely, and Vandenberg AFB, where GMD Ground-based Interceptors are deployed.
“Alaska Aerospace is committed to responsive and affordable GMD operations and maintenance in partnership with Lockheed Martin,” said Dale Nash, chief executive officer, Alaska Aerospace Corp. “We will apply our proven Kodiak Launch Complex expertise to GMD, providing consistency and transparency.”
Alaska Aerospace developed, owns and operates the Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska, which provides government and commercial satellite launch services and target missile launch services for missile defense testing.
“We will continue to rely upon a skilled resident workforce, which will support the needs of the Missile Defense Agency and the warfighters for responsiveness, reliability and affordability,” said Tom Case, a retired lieutenant general, president and chief operating officer of Alaska Aerospace Corp.
“Alaska Aerospace brings not only an impressive record in all aspects of launch facility operation, but also tried-and-true experience in supporting complex operations in a subarctic environment,” said John Holly, vice president, Missile Defense Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.
Lockheed Martin’s credentials for GMD Development and Sustainment include more than 30 years of experience in missile defense development, production, testing and fielding and more than 50 years of experience in strategic weapon system operations and sustainment as well as logistics expertise.
Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, Alaska Aerospace provides satellite launch and missile defense services. The State of Alaska established the corporation in 1991 to stimulate a high-technology aerospace industry in the state.