ORAC
1st Jan 2009, 21:15
Defense Daily: CMC contract to Define Future SSBN Launchers for UK, USA (http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/CMC-contract-to-Define-Future-SSBN-Launchers-for-UK-USA-05221/)
Dec 23/08: General Dynamics Electric Boat Corporation, Groton, CT receives a $75.6 million sole-source, cost plus fixed fee contract to perform concept studies and design of a Common Missile Compartment (CMC) for the United Kingdom Successor SSBN and the USA’s Ohio Class Replacement. At present, this contract involves Foreign Military Sales to the United Kingdom (100%).
This contract includes options which would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $591.8 million, if exercised. Work will be performed in Groton, CT (92%), Newport News, VA (4%), Quonset, RI (3%), and Newport, RI (1%), and is expected to be complete by December 2009 for the base contract, and December 2013 if all options are exercised. This contract was not competitively procured, and is formally run through the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC (N00024-09-C-2100).......
The CMC sub-program would define the missile tubes and accompanying systems that would be used to launch those ballistic missiles, which would be successors to the current Trident II/ D5 missile fleet used by both countries.
At present, both France and Russia are already working on successor sub-launched ballistic missile systems and submarines. The USA’s Ohio/ Henry M. Jackson Class and Britain’s Vanguard Class SSBNs are not facing retirement in the near term, but military programs of this type can easily take 15-20 years from concept to fielding. The CMC will help to define one of these program’s most important constraints.
It may also create opportunities. Converted Ohio Class SSGNs have already replaced nuclear missiles with special forces and land attack missiles, and the Virginia Class Block III fast attack submarine replaces 12 vertical-launch cruise missile tubes with 2 Common Weapon Launcher “six-shooters” derived from the SSGNs’ converted missile tubes. The size of those CWLs will allow these submarines to launch cruise missiles, UAVs, UUVs, and more.
There is no question that the future Common Missile Compartment will be built around the nuclear deterrence mission, as its primary focus. That is unlikely to be its sole use, however, and it would not be surprising if some of those other potential uses ended up influencing the CMC’s design.
Dec 23/08: General Dynamics Electric Boat Corporation, Groton, CT receives a $75.6 million sole-source, cost plus fixed fee contract to perform concept studies and design of a Common Missile Compartment (CMC) for the United Kingdom Successor SSBN and the USA’s Ohio Class Replacement. At present, this contract involves Foreign Military Sales to the United Kingdom (100%).
This contract includes options which would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $591.8 million, if exercised. Work will be performed in Groton, CT (92%), Newport News, VA (4%), Quonset, RI (3%), and Newport, RI (1%), and is expected to be complete by December 2009 for the base contract, and December 2013 if all options are exercised. This contract was not competitively procured, and is formally run through the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC (N00024-09-C-2100).......
The CMC sub-program would define the missile tubes and accompanying systems that would be used to launch those ballistic missiles, which would be successors to the current Trident II/ D5 missile fleet used by both countries.
At present, both France and Russia are already working on successor sub-launched ballistic missile systems and submarines. The USA’s Ohio/ Henry M. Jackson Class and Britain’s Vanguard Class SSBNs are not facing retirement in the near term, but military programs of this type can easily take 15-20 years from concept to fielding. The CMC will help to define one of these program’s most important constraints.
It may also create opportunities. Converted Ohio Class SSGNs have already replaced nuclear missiles with special forces and land attack missiles, and the Virginia Class Block III fast attack submarine replaces 12 vertical-launch cruise missile tubes with 2 Common Weapon Launcher “six-shooters” derived from the SSGNs’ converted missile tubes. The size of those CWLs will allow these submarines to launch cruise missiles, UAVs, UUVs, and more.
There is no question that the future Common Missile Compartment will be built around the nuclear deterrence mission, as its primary focus. That is unlikely to be its sole use, however, and it would not be surprising if some of those other potential uses ended up influencing the CMC’s design.