MDA readying sole-source Lockheed contract for Saudi Arabia THAAD deal

摘要

The Missile Defense Agency is readying a potential $ 15 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to buy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems for Saudi Arabia, a deal in the works for years that would in a single package outfit the desert kingdom with seven batteries -- equivalent to the Army's current THAAD ballistic missile defense capabilities for the entire globe. On Feb. 8, MDA announced plans to award a sole-source contract to Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control "to support the future sale of seven . . . THAAD batteries." The planned contract to Lockheed will provide "long-lead items, obsolescence mitigation, tooling and test equipment ... initial training development, System Integration Lab and testbeds, three-level maintenance concept, exportability and early engineering development," the announcement states.