Lockheed Martin has been the principal designer, manufacturer and sustainer of Minuteman III re-entry systems and also carries out work for the new U.S. ICBM, the Sentinel. It also has several outstanding contracts for Trident missile production.
Nuclear weapons
Lockheed Martin is producing command and control systems and, as part of the Northrop Grumman team, is responsible for missile payload integration for the Sentinel, the new U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile.[i] In 2023, Lockheed Martin was also awarded an $2 billion contract to develop a re-entry vehicle for the Sentinel.[ii]
Lockheed Martin has been the principal designer, manufacturer and sustainer of Minuteman III re-entry systems since the 1960s.[iii] It currently has an outstanding contract for re-entry system support that runs until June 2029, valued at $529.8 million.[iv] Lockheed Martin also holds a $94.3 million contract for the airborne launch control system, and a $9.8 million contract for the Minuteman III Weapon System Control Console (WSCC).[v]
The U.S. Navy is planning to use the Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules aircraft for nuclear command and communications, specifically in a Take Charge And Move Out (TACAMO) role.[vi] In 2023, it awarded Lockheed Martin a $70.5 million contract modification to study the aircraft’s readiness for the TACAMO program.[vii]
Lockheed Martin is responsible for the construction of the Trident II (D5) nuclear missiles for both the UK and the U.S.[viii] It has several outstanding contracts related to Trident production, together valued at more than $12.9 billion, some of which are planned to continue through at least 2030.[ix]
[i] About Sentinel (no date) | Northrop Grumman. Available at: About Sentinel | Northrop Grumman (Accessed: 9 October 2025); Mehta, Aaron,‘Northrop teams with Lockheed on ICBM replacement. Here’s who else is involved’, Defense News, 16 September 2019. Available at: https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/afa-air-space/2019/09/16/northrop-teams-with-lockheed-on-icbm-replacement-heres-who-else-is-involved/.
[ii] CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending’, 27 October 2023. Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP | USAspending (Accessed: 7 April 2026); Contracts for October 30, 2023 (2021) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 9 October 2025).
[iii] Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) (no date) | Lockheed Martin. Available at: Intercontinental Ballistic Missile | Lockheed Martin (Accessed: 9 October 2025).
[iv] IDV to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending’, 5 June 2019. Available at: IDV to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed 9 October 2025); Contracts for April 16, 2019 (2019) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 9 October 2025).
[v] Contracts for October 3, 2017 (2017) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/1333296//; CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending’, 3 October 2017. Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP | USAspending (Accessed: 7 April 2026); IDV to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending’, 3 January 2025. Available at: https://usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_FA820623D0001_9700 (Accessed: 7 April 2026).
[vi] Losey, Stephen, ‘Northrop, Lockheed, Raytheon team up on Navy’s E-XX ‘doomsday’ plane’, DefenseNews, 3 April 2023. Available at: Northrop, Lockheed, Raytheon team up on Navy’s E-XX ‘doomsday’ plane (defensenews.com).
[vii] CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending, 1 June 2021. Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP | USAspending (Accessed: 9 October 2025);
Contracts for April 13, 2023 (2023) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 9 October 2025).
[viii] Trident II D5 Fleet Ballistic Missile (no date) | Lockheed Martin. Available at: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/trident-ii-d5-fleet-ballistic-missile.html (Accessed: 9 October 2025).
[ix] CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending, 31 January 2020. Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 9 October 2025); Contracts for January 31, 2020 (2020) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/2071889// (Accessed: 9 October 2025); CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending, 7 August 2020. Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 9 October 2025); Contracts for September 30, 2020 (2020) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 9 October 2025); CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending, 10 August 2021. Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 9 October 2025); Contracts for August 10, 2021 (2021) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 9 October 2025); CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending, 16 June 2021. Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 9 October 2025); Contracts for June 16, 2021 (2021) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 9 October 2025); CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending, 18 August 2022. Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 9 October 2025); Contracts for August 18, 2022 (2022) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 9 October 2025); CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending, 1 October 2022; Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP | USAspending (Accessed: 9 October 2025); Contracts for December 8, 2022 (2022) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 9 October 2025);
CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending, 5 September 2023. Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 9 October 2025); Contracts for September 6, 2023 (2023) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 9 October 2025); CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending, 12 September 2024. Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 9 October 2025); Contracts for September 30, 2024 (2024) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 9 October 2025); CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending, 1 April 2022; Available at: CONTRACT to LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 9 October 2025); Contracts for April 1, 2022 (2022) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 9 October 2025); Contracts for September 12, 2025 (2025) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of War > Contract | U.S. Department of War (Accessed: 9 October 2025).
Last updated: 2026-06-08 16:55:36