Lockheed Martin (LM) announced it has submitted its final proposal revision for the Medium-range Ballistic Missile Targets contract. The Lockheed Martin team delivered its final offer to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA’s) Targets and Countermeasures Program Office in Huntsville, Alabama on Wednesday October 31.

The contract will provide Medium-range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) Targets to support Ballistic Missile Defense System element and system flight tests. Requirements include development and manufacturing of MRBMs, integrated logistics support to include inventory storage and maintenance, pre- and post-mission analysis, launch preparation and execution and engineering services.

The final proposal revision responds to amendments to the request for proposals made by the MDA following Lockheed Martin’s submission of its proposal in June. The MDA anticipates contract award in 2012.

“Lockheed Martin is dedicated to developing reliable and affordable Medium-range Ballistic Missile Targets that will meet the Missile Defense Agency’s requirements for tests of the nation’s Ballistic Missile Defense System,” said John Holly, Vice President of Missile Defense Systems and deputy for Strategic and Missile Defense Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.

“Our offer represents the next step in cost-efficient systems engineering that will maintain the quality required to produce and launch these next-generation ballistic missiles,” he added.  

“The Lockheed Martin team has the full capabilities and competencies needed to successfully perform the Medium-range Ballistic Missile targets contract,” said Dr. Patricia Dare, Targets and Countermeasures Program Director, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.

Lockheed Martin performs Targets and Countermeasures program management and engineering in Huntsville and production in Courtland, Ala. The Lockheed Martin-led team for Medium-range Ballistic Missile targets includes: Cummings Aerospace, Huntsville; Davidson Technologies Inc., Huntsville; IERUS Technologies Inc., Huntsville; and Orbital Sciences Corporation, Chandler, Arizona.

To meet the government’s requirements, Lockheed Martin will apply more than 15 years of experience as a leading provider of target missiles for missile defense testing. Lockheed Martin has achieved an unmatched 98-percent success rate in 43 out of 44 target missions since 1996, including legacy and next-generation ballistic missile targets. Target reliability contributes to the overall affordability of a flight test, due to costs associated with the weapon system and sensors.

Lockheed Martin has implemented innovations in next-generation target production and operations that focus on cost effectiveness without sacrifices in reliability. Modular hardware components reduce costs and maximize mission flexibility. A central production facility streamlines fabrication, integration, testing, storage and shipment. The ship-and-shoot approach delivers an integrated target ready to launch, reducing time at the test range.

Lockheed Martin’s proven experience in relevantly representing the characteristics of real-world threats includes: unitary and separating; short-, medium- and intermediate-range; and ground-, sea- and air-launched targets. The next-generation target systems developed by the company significantly increase threat-relevant capabilities while improving mission flexibility.