The Air Force has announced its intent to award Lockheed Martin the contract for Lot 9 production of the JASSM cruise missile sometime in late 2010 or early 2011. This lot will include up to 391 missiles in the baseline configuration and/or the extended-range variant, according to the service’s presolicitation notice. Lockheed is currently building Lot 7 missiles. The company is awaiting the production contract for Lot 8 missiles after completing a series of flight tests last year with Lot 7 missiles to assess their reliability. The Air Force had placed the Lot 8 award on hold, pending the results of the tests due to its lingering concerns over the missile’s performance. The service also requested no JASSM production funds in Fiscal 2010. But JASSM performed as advertised in 15 of the 16 flights, clearing the path for the Lot 8 award, Lockheed has said.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
