Nuclear Modernization Plan Expands With Navy SLBM Replacement

摘要

A fifth program has joined the four pillars of the U.S. military's sweeping nuclear modernization program. Adding to a trillion-dollar list that already includes a new bomber, submarine, intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and cruise missile, the U.S. Navy also has started working to field a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) by 2039. The Lockheed Martin Trident Ⅱ D5 Life Extension Ⅱ (D5LE2) program is now at a very early stage. Over the next four years, the Strategic Systems Program (SSP) office will begin making key architecture decisions, selecting the necessary missile and guidance technologies, and launching development of a new nuclear warhead and aeroshell.