Lockheed Martin receives contract for Trident II nuclear missile

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The Defense Department has awarded Lockheed Martin Space Systems a $21.9 million modification to an existing U.S. Navy contract for support of the Trident II D5 submarine launched ballistic missile.

The work will be split between Sunnyvale, Calif., Cape Canaveral, Fla. and other locations across the U.S. with an expected completion date of Sept. 30 2017.

The Trident II D5 is the submarine-launched ballistic missile deployed by both the U.S. and Great Britain. Trident is the sole nuclear weapon system deployed by the U.K.

It has intercontinental range and can carry several nuclear warheads using multiple independent reentry vehicles designed to strike several targets with a single missile.

The Trident is the primary sea-based weapon for the nuclear "triad" of U.S. nuclear forces.

The Trident II is currently deployed on U.S. Ohio-class and British Vanguard-class submarines. It is planned to be fielded by the Columbia and Dreadnought ballistic missile submarines currently under development.

The Trident Is expected to stay in service with upgrades for a planned 50 years or more.