Lockheed Martin Space has secured a $647 million contract modification to continue production and sustainment of the Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile for the U.S. Navy. The agreement, structured as a hybrid of fixed-price incentive and cost-plus terms, covers new missile builds as well as support for systems already in service. The Trident II D5, the mainstay of both U.S. and U.K. sea-based nuclear deterrence since 1990, can deliver multiple independently targetable warheads over ranges exceeding 7,000 kilometers. Its precision has been enhanced over the years through ongoing upgrades in propulsion, guidance, and reentry systems, with Lockheed Martin serving as the program’s prime contractor from the outset. Work will take place at several U.S. sites, primarily in Utah, with completion projected by September 2030. The Pentagon will immediately obligate $120 million from fiscal 2025 Navy weapons procurement funds, and the contract—issued on a sole-source basis—includes options elevating its total potential value to $745 million. The award also supports a foreign military sale to the U.K., which employs the D5 on its Vanguard-class submarines. The sustained investment reinforces the missile’s role as a cornerstone of extended deterrence. Both the U.S. and U.K. plan to keep the D5 in service into the 2040s, maintaining it aboard Columbia- and Dreadnought-class submarines respectively, highlighting the transatlantic partnership that underpins NATO’s strategic nuclear posture.
