Posted on 07/12/2005 3:42:22 PM PDT by Righty_McRight
Multi-Million Dollar Contract to Demonstrate Key Technologies for Ballistic Missile System
SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The U.S. Navy's Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) office has awarded a team of Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - News) and Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK - News) a $9.2 million contract to demonstrate and validate solid rocket motor technologies suitable for developing an affordable Submarine Launched Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile System (SLIRBM).
Under the 16-month contract, the team will identify the appropriate level of technology insertion that will then be demonstrated through static firings of first and second stage boost motors. The purpose of the demonstration is to achieve a low risk transition path to the objective weapon system for the U.S. Navy's guided missile submarines.
"We are extremely proud to have been selected to lead this important effort," said Joanne Maguire, vice president and deputy, Lockheed Martin Space Systems. "We look forward to working in partnership with Navy SSP to deliver mission success while building toward a conventional precision global strike capability for the nation."
To provide the best value solution to the government, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Sunnyvale, Calif., and partner ATK, have established a compact, fully integrated, product-oriented team with Lockheed Martin leading a Missile System Trade Study Integrated Product Team (IPT) and ATK leading the Ground Demonstration IPT. Lockheed Martin will serve as the overall prime contractor and systems integrator for the SLIRBM Booster System Demonstration.
The bid leveraged the team's combined strength and extensive experience developing advanced ballistic missile systems and solid propellant rocket motor propulsion systems.
"ATK is the world's leading producer of solid rocket motors and the world record holder for hypersonic flight, "said Ron Dittemore, President, ATK Thiokol. "We look forward to working with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy to develop a low-cost, precision missile system capable of global reach that gives U.S. forces unmatched, rapid-response capability to time critical targets."
ATK is a $3.0 billion advanced weapon and space systems company employing approximately 14,000 people in 23 states. News and information on ATK can be found at www.atk.com
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2004 sales of $35.5 billion.
Single low-power (((PING!))) to Steely-eyed Killers of the Deep.
Thanks for the ping. I hope this thread gets lots of comments. I'll be lurking, and hopefully learning.
Heh, can't be any worse than SUBROC (nuke suicide weapon until the mid '80s).
It's high time we trash the INF Treaty. It's only bilateral between us and the former USSR, and quite likely, one or more former USSR countries cheat on it. The PRC, Pakistan, DPRK, Iran and who-knows-who else all have IRBMs, some of them in subs, many of them on TELs.
If we trash the INF Treaty, then this missile could also be deployed via TEL (and air drogue-launched, out of the backs of C-17s as well). Maybe we would actually develop a descent TEL for the first time in our history.
Nicknamed the "Up Yours, Red China" missile, this missile is the Navy's latest upgrade.
http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/m-44.html
According to that it wasn't really suicidal, the range was quite far.
The last lines of the articles are kinda scary, that our subs have no long range standoff now. Hopefully this new program will remedy that.
We used to call those "Polaris."
SUBROC made more sense than ASTOR.
Also, known as the "Kim Yu Suk" missile or the "Eye A Toll Uh Nice Ta Have Known Ya" missile! LOL ...
Woo hoo, sounds like Sunnyvale is hiring again.
Heh, can't be any worse than SUBROC (nuke suicide weapon until the mid '80s).I think you mean the Mk 45 ASTOR, pulled out of service ~1977.
No I meant SUBROC since I don't have any history with ASTOR. Sure SUBROC had a 25NM range but with the lack of OTH-T at the time it was pretty unlikely you'd get to fire one more than 15MN uprange. With a 5NM kill radius and pinpoint inaccuracy (meaning you're guaranteed not to hit your target) the doctorine was "fire and run like hell".
That was the philosophy with ASTOR, too. They made no sense at all on a Boomer. Even if it didn't sink us outright, it would probably have confused SINS to the point where we wouldn't have been able to launch our Polaris or Poseidons.
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