Missile Defense System Continues Integration with $424M Contract Modification

Lockheed Martin was awarded a $424 million contract from the Missile Defense Agency to continue integration of the Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) program. The C2BMC program is the “integrating element” for the Ballistic Missile Defense System and integrates the various sensors and weapon systems.

The Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) program was awarded a two-year, $424 million contract modification from the Missile Defense Agency to continue integration of the missile defense system. This phase of the program, work will be focused on increasing security, augmenting planner/situational awareness capabilities, handling new and more sensors and weapons systems, and providing more integrated functionality.

Senate Fight Ahead for START

United States Senate

After the release of the Nuclear Posture Review, the signing of the START treaty and the recent Nuclear Security Summit, many US senators still have questions regarding the plans the administration has with missile defense.  Many Republicans are weary that without these questions answered ratification of START may be difficult.

Of all President Barack Obama’s nuclear arms reduction initiatives — including his world without nuclear weapons and a test ban treaty — negotiating and ratifying an updated Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia was seen as the easiest step.

But in a congressional session so poisonous that even a jobs bill was in doubt at a time of soaring unemployment, securing the two-thirds vote of the Senate necessary to ratify the treaty is no sure thing.

Launch Complex Loses Missile Defense

The Missile Defense Agency’s contract with Alaska Aerospace ends in August of this year which means the corporation is looking for new customers to launch missiles from its Kodiak, Alaska site.  Alaska Aerospace Corp. hopes to cover its costs with two non-MDA launches this fall to alleviate losing MDA.

The Alaska Aerospace Corporation is looking for new customers to launch rockets from its Kodiak Launch Complex as it prepares to lose business from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, its most valuable customer.

Since 2004, the MDA has been the only customer to launch missiles from the Narrow Cape facility. In total, it has launched eight rockets from Kodiak, the majority of the facility’s 14 launches.