Charles Stark Draper Laboratories Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has received a $68.4m contract modification for continued work on the Trident (D5) Guidance Subsystem, with the award also covering a Foreign Military Sale to the United Kingdom, the US Department of Defense stated.
The contract is a hybrid fixed-price-incentive-fee and cost-plus-incentive-fee modification under contract N0003023C6008. The Pentagon said the requirement includes “design analysis, testing, procurement, and manufacturing of interferometric fibre optic gyros repairs and associated material.”
According to the notice, “this modification also benefits a foreign military sale to the United Kingdom.”
Work under the contract will take place at four US locations: Cambridge, Massachusetts (15%); Pittsfield, Massachusetts (65%); East Aurora, New York (10%); and Clearwater, Florida (10%). Completion is expected by 28 February 2029.
The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that $62,006,868 from fiscal year 2025 Navy weapons procurement funds will be obligated at the time of award, with the balance to be incrementally funded. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
The contract was awarded on a sole-source basis under US Code 10, section 3204(a)(1), and was previously advertised on the federal procurement portal SAM.gov. Strategic Systems Programs, based in Washington, D.C., is managing the contract.
The UK operates the Trident II D5 missile aboard its Vanguard-class submarines, which provide Britain’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent. Draper Laboratories has been a long-standing partner in supporting the guidance systems for both the US and UK Trident fleets.
Apologies for an off-topic post
The fossil fuel cartel and it’s net stupid Reform UK mouthpiece has been busy this year, planting yet more insane anti-net zero falsehoods in the media. Middle-of-the-road one-nation Tories in favour of net zero – the majority of the party’s 121 MP’s – may counter their propaganda with facts;
1) Net zero did NOT cause the collapse of British Steel and is NOT causing de-industrialisation. Net zero and associated green industries have generated nearly a million jobs over the past 5 years. Source – CBI report Feb 2025
2) Nobody is banning oil and gas, which will be part of the UK energy mix for decades to come. FACT – there are no economically extractable oil/gas reserves left in the N Sea. The proposed Jackdaw and Rosebank fields will require yet more £billions in direct subsidy from the government – which will not be recovered by taxation of the products and most will be paid out to shareholders
3) The best way to get energy security for the UK is to harvest more free electricity by expanding onshore wind and solar coupled with battery storage. In 2025, for the first time, zero carbon generation produced 50% of our electricity, allowing British juice to be exported to the EU via the interconnectors and saving us from having to import dozens of LNG tankers
4) Charging EV’s at home overnight overwhelmingly uses N Sea windfarm electricity, NOT by burning gas
5) The reason UK electricity is so expensive for bill payers is because we still have to burn gas in CCGG plant for about 40% of it – the best of which operate at only 50% efficiency!
5) Nobody in their right mind – except Nigel Farage – still doubts the overwhelming scientific evidence of the global heating crisis. This summer in Arizona/New Mexico/Texas the air temperature was over 40C for all of June, July and most of August. Source; NASA
The fossil fuel cartel is clutching at straws as it loses market share to renewables. China will add 500 GW in new wind and solar power in 2025, meanwhile Trump is cancelling nearly finished windfarm projects in Idaho and New Mexico. Go figure why
What’d you expect from a Trump-style populist? He’ll say what he wants to get people riled up, knowing that the average person in the country is too lazy and close-minded to actually fact-check him, and when shit hits the fan, he’ll blame everyone that isn’t himself – eg, exactly what happened with Brexit.
Our political system is so fundamentally broken that for the average Briton, you have to choose between your preferred flavour of racist xenophobe or the least limp left-wing wet-wipe liar. There are no good options, heck, there are no vaguely competent options.
The only positive I can see from Reform is that they’re likely to improve funding for the armed forces. Where that money will come from is anyone’s guess, and whether it’ll be spent on inane political pledge projects with little strategic value as we’ve seen in the US, or be managed competently is another question entirely.
Only your comment @ 4) Charging EVs at night……. is correct. All else is 100% rubbish! The subsidies that are given to make the wind industry viable are hair raising.
Didn’t realise you were a climate denier Will?
Garbage, subsidised variable wind and solar are responsible for the current high UK electricity price.
And your proof is not being pushed by the right?
Well, one of the most authoritative voices in this area is Katheryn Porter, who is about to speak at the Social Democratic Party conference.
Trump did not cancel nearly finished wind projects in Idaho and New Mexico. In Idaho he canceled authorization for the LAVA Wind project, a project on federal land that the Biden administration had approved in concept six weeks before the end of his administration. The Idaho state legislature had voted overwhelmingly in opposition to the project. Trump canceled no solar projects in New Mexico, finished or unfinished. In fact the state of New Mexico currently is building solar farms on state lands in four counties.
I think you should relax David the net zero train has left the station and will simply run over anyone who gets in its way.
In the most part we are either waiting for technological breakthoughs or their implementation. There is no shortage of scientific work or industrial effort going in and the population do understand the problem and are ready implement especially as affordable solutions are on the horizon.
Don’t overstate the power of politicians and so far a Farage is concerned his popularity is due to his views on immigration. I anticipate the party conference season will start to see the hints of where the Tories are going on this and they will not be beaten by single policy outfits like Reform..
I should jolly well hope so !
Yeah this is to keep the Trident up to date until the Trident replacement is designed by the British and Americans whether together or not as both know they need Trident for the next few decades
I imagine that any replacement missile will be US designed.