Lockheed Martin to create an upgraded version of Trident II ballistic missiles

2 February, 2025 Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile. Photo: Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin has been awarded a £383 million contract to develop a new Trident II nuclear-capable ballistic missile modernization.

Lockheed Martin announced this in a press release. The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to develop a modernized nuclear-capable missile called the Trident II D5 Life Extension 2 (D5LE2).

The integrated, modernized missile will be carried aboard COLUMBIA-class ballistic missile submarines to ensure the strategic weapon system remains credible through 2084.

Illustrative photo of a Columbia-class submarine. Photo from the network

"The second life extension of the Trident D5 missile will enable the United States and the United Kingdom, through the Polaris Sales Agreement, to maintain credibility deterring evolving threats," Jerry Mamrol, vice president of Fleet Ballistic Missiles at Lockheed Martin, stated. Lockheed Martin is breaking ground on an approximately 225,000-square-foot facility in Titusville, Florida, to produce components for the D5LE2 submarine-launched ballistic missile.

The new facility expands Lockheed Martin's presence in Florida's Space Coast and is expected to add approximately 300 highly-skilled new jobs. The facility is anticipated to be ready for operations in 2027 to meet the Navy's production needs and support the service for the next 60 years.

Updating the US nuclear arsenal

In October 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense signed a £2.1 billion contract with Lockheed Martin Space to produce and support Trident II D5 missiles and develop new W93 and Mk7 nuclear warheads.

The Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile.

Photo credits: Lockheed Martin

The work will also be performed in the interests of the United Kingdom, in addition to the United States. The contract is scheduled to be completed by September 30, 2029. In April 2024, the United States announced that it plans to launch production of new nuclear warheads.

For the first time in 40 years, the new warheads, which are scheduled to begin production in the coming years, are developed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Inspection of the W76-1 nuclear warhead.

Photo credits: Los Alamos National Laboratory

Currently, Trident II missiles on submarines can use the W76 and W88 nuclear warheads in the US arsenal.

However, they are more than 25 years old, and there are concerns about their safety.