Draper to Produce Trident II Missile Guidance Tech Under $208M Navy Contract

Charles Stark Draper Laboratory has received a $207.5 million contract to provide the U.S. Navy with a new boost guidance system that will be equipped into the service branch’s submarine-launched Trident II (D5) fleet ballistic missiles.

The Department of Defense said Friday the cost-plus-incentive fee contract covers the Trident II (D5) Strategic Weapon System Mark 6 Guidance Equivalent Unit procurement and is slated for completion on July 30, 2025.

Almost third quarter of the work will be conducted in Cambridge, where the research and development organization is headquartered, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts while the remaining 26 percent of the work will be done in Clearwater, Florida, and McKinney, Texas.

According to Draper, its Mark 6 Mod 1 system is meant to be compatible with the Trident submarine fleet. The guidance prime contractor employed a modular design approach and model-based engineering as part of the system’s design and development process as well as used enhanced ground testing instead of pad-launched test flights to stay within budget while speeding up integration with larger weapons system.

The Trident II (D5) is a three-decade old missile supplied to the Navy and its U.K. counterpart by Lockheed Martin’s space systems business. The weapon system has passed over 160 test launches since 1989. The Navy’s Ohio-class and British Vanguard-class submarines are currently equipped with the missile.

Both service branches are contributing to provide Draper with the full contract amount for the Trident II (D5) guidance system production.

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