Missiles mean
local jobs. Lockheed Martin and Raytheon land identical $900 million U.S. contracts to develop designs for the Air Force’s nuclear fleet.
The modernization of the U.S.’s stockpile of nuclear-capable missiles could bring jobs to Central Florida.
Lockheed Martin and Raytheon landed identical 54-month, $900 million U.S. Air Force contracts in August to develop designs for the agency’s nuclear fleet.
The deals allow the two defense giants to put together preliminary designs for the weapon in what’s known as the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction phase.
The Air Force would then choose one of the two designs to advance into the engineering and production phases of missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
“There will be two winners in the end: one of those companies that gets the design contract and then our economy that benefits from the missile horse race,” University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith said. “It’s going to create jobs.”
It’s uncertain just how many, however.
Lockheed Martin officials would only confirm that “it situates the business for additional future growth,” but would not be more specific.
They say the company’s Long Range Standoff team already numbers about 800 people in 11 states, including Florida.
Lockheed employs more than 7,000 people across three locations in Central Florida, including nearly 1,000 on the Space Coast.
Raytheon officials would not comment other than to acknowledge information released by the Air Force.
In that release, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson said this contract will “modernize the air-based leg of the nuclear triad.”
“Deterrence works if our adversaries know that we can hold at risk things they value,” she said. “This weapon will enhance our ability to do so and we must modernize it cost-effectively.”
The importance of the U.S. nuclear stockpile jumped back into view during a feisty exchange between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in August. The two world leaders exchanged threats on social media and through state-run news agencies.
On Sunday, Kim Jong-Un said the country had tested a hydrogen bomb that could be attached to a missile.
Military experts said that’s why the modernization of the U.S.’s nuclear weapons capability is crucial to the country’s long-term safety.
“We need to modernize our nuclear stockpile,” said Ret. U.S. Air Force General Tom Baptiste, who leads the National Center for Simulation in Orlando. “What we are using is getting long in the tooth. It’s a necessary step to replace these things.”
The cruise missile used by the U.S. Air Force for its nuclear warhead debuted in the early 1980s and had an expected design life of about 10 years.
The plan calls for a new Long Range Standoff arsenal by the late 2020s.
“The ability to defend this country against future aggressors is very important,” Ret. U.S. Air Force Col. Mark Bontrager said. “Our nuclear capability is the foundation of future deterrents.”
Bontrager, Space Florida’s VP of spaceport operations, said competitively bidding the work will lead to better missile systems.
“This is the right thing to have these companies working hard to win these capabilities,” said Bontrager. “At the end of the day, the U.S. warfighter will have the best it can offer by having them compete.
Snaith said Lockheed’s and Raytheon’s selection was unsurprising, considering the two companies’ histories with the Department of Defense.
“You won’t get the ma-and-pa shops landing billion-dollar contracts,” he said. “These two have a reputation and a history with the Department of Defense. The leadership in the defense department wouldn’t be putting this amount of money if there wasn’t confidence that they will deliver.”