Two nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) launch task area agreements were awarded to Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, a division of the defense company, and Pacific Engineering.
The award was announced on the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL) contracting platform. It will be funded by the Strategic Systems Programs in partnership with NSWC Crane, a spokesperson for NSTXL told the Exchange Monitor. The consortium also funded five other SLCM-N task area agreements Aug. 22.
According to the press release, the Northrop division and Pacific Engineering would begin developing the SLCM-N launcher subsystem, which will integrate a tube to connect the subsystem to the submarine’s shipboard systems.
A planned nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile would be deployed on the Virginia-class submarines and would include a variant of the W80-4 air-launched cruise missile warhead. The W80-4 is something the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is already working on.
The agreement is worth $26.2 million and the work is expected to be complete by September 2026, according to a Navy press release from last month.