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Effort to overhaul nuclear missile system expected to begin this fall
By Brian Everstine, Staff writer 10:16 a.m. EDT July 11, 2015
(Photo: Charlie Riedel/The Associated Press)
The Air Force will take a major step toward overhauling its Cold War-era nuclear missiles this fall, with plans to field hundreds of the weapons even as it must comply with a treaty calling for reductions alongside Russia.
The service expects to spend $62.3 billion over 30 years on 642 missiles, 400 of which would be operationally deployed, according to an Arms Control Association review of internal Air Force documents. The service had 447 deployed missiles as of last fall, and the reduction would keep the Air Force within New START reduction requirements.
Plans also call for new ground control stations, new command and control systems and replacing the flight system.
Contractors vying for the next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile system expect the Air Force to call for proposals this fall.
In its fiscal 2016 budget request currently making its way through Congress, the Air Force is requesting $76.1 million to begin research and development of the new system.
The funding request shows the Air Force beginning a deliberate process to kick-start replacement of the aging missiles, James Chilton, Boeing's vice president and general manager of Strategic Missile and Defense Systems, told reporters Tuesday.
"Clearly the Air Force is starting down the path to do what we must with upgrading and replacing the Minuteman III," Chilton said.
Boeing will be one of several contractors vying for the contract, which begins with a draft request for proposals expected this fall. The service will likely select three contractors for an initial phase of developing the technology in its proposal and reducing expected risks, followed by down-selecting to two contractors for engineering and manufacturing development of the proposals for the program. The contract would then be awarded, with an overall goal of initial operating capability by 2027, said Ted Kerzie, the director of strategic missile and defense systems for Boeing.
The current system dates back to the 1960s, and Air Force missile officers have complained of antiquated equipment in their alert facilities. Air Force Global Strike Command in the fall completed an analysis of its ground-based systems to find upgrades to improve the system, while setting the stage for a follow-on system, Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, commander of Global Strike Command, said in a September speech.
"There are a lot of programs that we are undertaking either now or in the future to not only modernize and sustain the Minuteman III but set the ground work for GBSD," Wilson said at the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference. "This is key to the innovative strategy that we have for the ground-based strategic deterrent. The key is that everything we are doing today to sustain the current system is a building block and part of the follow-on system."
Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said in an essay in the Air & Space Power Journal, that modernization before the new system is ready also is needed for a safe deterrent.
"Through investments in the enduring deterrent and supporting infrastructure, we can maintain an effective deterrent while not developing new nuclear warheads. In the coming years, our budget strategy should continue careful and deliberate investments in strategic deterrent concepts and capabilities," Haney wrote. "This effort is critical and must match the current and future strategic security environment if we are to build upon the stable foundation that benefits us all."
Boeing on June 18 announced it had received an indefinite delivery, indefinite quality contract with the Air Force's Nuclear Weapon Center at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, worth $466.5 million to maintain guidance systems for the aging Minuteman III missiles. The company has been the exclusive contractor to work on the missiles since 1996, with the contract lasting through 2021, the company said.
By Brian Everstine, Staff writer 10:16 a.m. EDT July 11, 2015
(Photo: Charlie Riedel/The Associated Press)
The Air Force will take a major step toward overhauling its Cold War-era nuclear missiles this fall, with plans to field hundreds of the weapons even as it must comply with a treaty calling for reductions alongside Russia.
The service expects to spend $62.3 billion over 30 years on 642 missiles, 400 of which would be operationally deployed, according to an Arms Control Association review of internal Air Force documents. The service had 447 deployed missiles as of last fall, and the reduction would keep the Air Force within New START reduction requirements.
Plans also call for new ground control stations, new command and control systems and replacing the flight system.
Contractors vying for the next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile system expect the Air Force to call for proposals this fall.
In its fiscal 2016 budget request currently making its way through Congress, the Air Force is requesting $76.1 million to begin research and development of the new system.
The funding request shows the Air Force beginning a deliberate process to kick-start replacement of the aging missiles, James Chilton, Boeing's vice president and general manager of Strategic Missile and Defense Systems, told reporters Tuesday.
"Clearly the Air Force is starting down the path to do what we must with upgrading and replacing the Minuteman III," Chilton said.
Boeing will be one of several contractors vying for the contract, which begins with a draft request for proposals expected this fall. The service will likely select three contractors for an initial phase of developing the technology in its proposal and reducing expected risks, followed by down-selecting to two contractors for engineering and manufacturing development of the proposals for the program. The contract would then be awarded, with an overall goal of initial operating capability by 2027, said Ted Kerzie, the director of strategic missile and defense systems for Boeing.
The current system dates back to the 1960s, and Air Force missile officers have complained of antiquated equipment in their alert facilities. Air Force Global Strike Command in the fall completed an analysis of its ground-based systems to find upgrades to improve the system, while setting the stage for a follow-on system, Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, commander of Global Strike Command, said in a September speech.
"There are a lot of programs that we are undertaking either now or in the future to not only modernize and sustain the Minuteman III but set the ground work for GBSD," Wilson said at the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference. "This is key to the innovative strategy that we have for the ground-based strategic deterrent. The key is that everything we are doing today to sustain the current system is a building block and part of the follow-on system."
Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said in an essay in the Air & Space Power Journal, that modernization before the new system is ready also is needed for a safe deterrent.
"Through investments in the enduring deterrent and supporting infrastructure, we can maintain an effective deterrent while not developing new nuclear warheads. In the coming years, our budget strategy should continue careful and deliberate investments in strategic deterrent concepts and capabilities," Haney wrote. "This effort is critical and must match the current and future strategic security environment if we are to build upon the stable foundation that benefits us all."
Boeing on June 18 announced it had received an indefinite delivery, indefinite quality contract with the Air Force's Nuclear Weapon Center at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, worth $466.5 million to maintain guidance systems for the aging Minuteman III missiles. The company has been the exclusive contractor to work on the missiles since 1996, with the contract lasting through 2021, the company said.
