Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The program manager for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines said Tuesday while the boats have almost no margin for delays, he believes the submarines will be ready in time and that additional inspections of suppliers will continue. At the top of his presentation here at the Navy league’s annual Sea Air Space Expo, […]

By Richard Abott Defense Daily The secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations (CNO) told congressional appropriators this week that the service is trying to build more margin in the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program. House appropriators raised concerns about the Columbia program’s cost and schedule margin given a tight timeline, especially following […]

The U.S. Navy this week awarded General Dyamics Electric Boat a $269 million contract modification to build 42 more missile tubes for the upcoming Columbia-class and U.K. Dreadnought-class submarines. The award covers the missile tubes as well as missile tube outfitting mat.e.rial under the  U.S.-U.K. Common Missile Compartment program. Both countries will use the same missile […]

By Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily As expected, Boeing on Wednesday reported lower sales and earning stemming from a halt in deliveries and flights of its 737 MAX passenger aircraft but the pain from that issue was softened by gains in the defense and services segments. “I want to be very clear, when it comes to resource […]

By Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily Lockheed Martin blew open the door in its first quarter financials with a strong showing across all of its operating segments and the company increased its guidance for earnings, sales and cash this year. Net income jumped a whopping 42 percent to $1.7 billion, $5.99 earnings per share (EPS), from […]

By Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily The acquisition last year of Orbital ATK, combined with strong results in the company’s Aerospace Systems, led to a solid opening quarter for Northrop Grumman, with sales and earnings higher and the outlook for earnings higher this year. Net income increased 3 percent to $863 million, $5.06 earnings per share […]

By Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily General Dynamics on Wednesday posted higher first quarter sales due to gains in each of its business segments but net income fell on higher interest expenses and slightly higher taxes, which combined to more than offset a small rise in segment income. Net income dropped 7 percent to $745 million, […]

By Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily Raytheon on Thursday reported strong first quarter results with the company’s earnings leading the way with a double-digit gain on operational performance, some pension tailwinds and other positives. Despite beating its own and analysts’ expectations on earnings, Raytheon left its outlook for 2019 unchanged. Company officials on their investor call said […]

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon danced around questions this week about whether the National Nuclear Security Administration can support the planned deployment of next-generation, nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles if Congress allows the civilian agency to build only a single plutonium pit-production plant. But with lawmakers headed back to Washington next week to prepare bills that will […]

WASHINGTON – A senior Pentagon official declined to say here Wednesday whether he believes the Department of Energy can deliver nuclear warheads for next-generation intercontinental ballistic missiles on time if Congress does not fund both the plutonium-pit production plants the civilian agency wants to build. “I’m aware of the issue, but I wouldn’t want to […]

General Dynamics on Wednesday posted higher first quarter sales due to gains in each of its business segments but net income fell on higher interest expenses and slightly higher taxes, which combined to more than offset a small rise in segment income. Net income dropped 7 percent to $745 million, $2.56 earnings per share (EPS), from […]

The Navy on Monday awarded General Dyamics Electric Boat a $269 million contract modification to build 42 more missile tubes for the upcoming Columbia-class and UK Dreadnought-class submarines. The award covers the missile tubes as well as missile tube outfitting mat.e.rial under the  U.S.-U.K. Common Missile Compartment program. Both countries will use the same missile compartment […]

The leader of Air Force Global Strike Command expects the cost of the service’s new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to increase in the short term, he said April 17. However, Gen. Timothy Ray is not concerned about the impact to the ongoing Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program, as the cost will likely then go down […]

The Air Force last week awarded Boeing a $14.3 billion indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to modernize the B-1 and B-52 bomber weapons systems through 2029, according to an April 12 announcement. The contract includes the modification, modernization, engineering, sustainment and test for the weapons systems on the B-1 Lancer and the B-52 Stratofortress. “This B-1/B-52 Flexible Acquisition and […]

The leader of Air Force Global Strike Command expects the cost of the service’s new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to increase in the short term, he said April 17. However, Gen. Timothy Ray is not concerned about the impact to the ongoing Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program, as the cost will likely then go down […]

The Air Force last week awarded Boeing a $14.3 billion indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to modernize the B-1 and B-52 bomber weapons systems through 2029, according to an April 12 announcement. The contract includes the modification, modernization, engineering, sustainment and test for the weapons systems on the B-1 Lancer and the B-52 Stratofortress. “This B-1/B-52 Flexible Acquisition and […]

By Richard Abott Defense Daily The Navy’s estimate that Columbia-class submarine procurement will cost $115 billion is overly optimistic about labor hour assumptions, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said this week. The Navy plans to start replacing the Ohio­-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) with 12 Columbias in 2027. In creating the new vessel, the Navy is developing […]

BWX Technologies’ mistake last year welding ballistic-missile tubes for the first Columbia-class submarine consumed 15 of the 23 months of schedule cushion built into the Common Missile Compartment program, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported Monday. The report marked the first time the Navy and Columbia prime General Dynamics Electric Boat publicly quantified the amount […]

BWX Technologies’ mistake last year welding ballistic-missile tubes for the first Columbia-class submarine consumed 15 of the 23 months of schedule cushion built into the Common Missile Compartment program, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported Monday. The report marked the first time the Navy and Columbia prime General Dynamics Electric Boat publicly quantified the amount […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) naval reactors budget is entering a relative lull as development ramps down on reactor design for the Navy’s flagship Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program, according to the agency’s 2020 budget request. For Naval Reactors, which researches, develops, and manufactures reactors and refueling infrastructure for nuclear-powered Navy warships and submarines, […]

As lawmakers on Capitol Hill sound alarms about the possibility of entering fiscal 2020 with a continuing resolution – or worse, sequestration – Air Force leadership said Thursday that $29 billion is at stake should the 2011 Budget Control Act spending cap levels return. A return to sequestration levels would cause four times the amount […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) naval reactors budget is entering a relative lull as development ramps down on reactor design for the Navy’s flagship Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program, according to the agency’s 2020 budget request. For Naval Reactors, which researches, develops, and manufactures reactors and refueling infrastructure for nuclear-powered Navy warships and submarines, […]

The Pentagon continues to assess the costs and benefits of directing the two contractors building the forthcoming Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) to partner with the two remaining rocket builders in the country, the Air Force’s military acquisition chief said March 28. Testifying before the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee Thursday on Capitol Hill, Lt. […]

Proportionally or by raw dollars, the W80-4 life-extension program would get the biggest increase of any active Department of Energy nuclear warhead refurbishment in fiscal 2020, if the Trump administration’s budget request becomes law. The program led by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California already received an enormous budget increase in 2019 to pace […]

Proportionally or by raw dollars, the W80-4 life-extension program would get the biggest increase of any active Department of Energy nuclear warhead refurbishment in fiscal 2020, if the Trump administration’s budget request became law. The program led by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California already received an enormous budget increase in 2019 to pace […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in fiscal 2020 intends to study a nuclear-tipped, sea-launched cruise missile, and to start work to preserve the last megaton-class weapon in the U.S. arsenal, the B83 gravity bomb, according to a 2020 budget document released Friday. The efforts are funded within the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Directed […]

Boeing Co. has received a $250 million sole-source Air Force contract to prepare the planned nuclear-tipped Long-Range Standoff cruise missile to fly aboard the B-52H bomber, the Air Force announced Wednesday. The Boeing work will mostly be done in Oklahoma City and is scheduled for completion by Dec. 31, 2024,  according to the Air Force. Work covered […]

WASHINGTON — To give the Pentagon more money to spend in the future, the United States could buy fewer new intercontinental ballistic missiles and again extend its aging fleet of nuclear-tipped Minuteman III missiles, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said at a conference here Wednesday. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) has said nuclear […]

WASHINGTON — The United States does not need intercontinental ballistic missiles to prevent a nuclear attack on its territory, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said in a hearing here Wednesday — but a couple rank-and-file Democrats disagreed. “The problem with them is that they’re identifiable targets,” Smith said of ICBMs from the […]

By Richard Abott Defense Daily The Navy announced the establishment of Program Executive Office Columbia (PEO CLB) on Wednesday to better focus on the Navy’s “number one acquisition priority,” the new nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines. James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said PEO CLB will provide oversight of construction […]