MDA modifies Boeing contract for Re-designed Kill Vehicle

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) intends to award a modification to the existing Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Development and Sustainment Contract (DSC) to The Boeing Company in Huntsville, Ala.

“This effort is for the acquisition of Re-designed Kill Vehicle (RKV) development including: payload development; payload ground testing; integration with the Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) and GMD Ground System; flight testing; several test assets; and up to eight initial production units,” MDA said in contract documents released Friday. The anticipated period of performance for this effort will be six years, extending the current DSC period by three years, but only for this additional RKV development effort.

Boeing is the designer, developer, manufacturer, and integrator of the GMD GBI. Boeing, along with its RKV Cross-Industry team of sub-contractors, comprised of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, and The Raytheon Company, provide a consolidated product that includes the collective knowledge of all three contractors.

Currently, the GMD system is using a Exo-atmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) designed to intercept and defend U.S. territory against long-range missile attacks. The new RKV program was hatched following a string of EKV intercept failures.

“The Cross-Industry team will incorporate the most viable technical approaches from each contractor, combining resources that will complement each other's unique capabilities to shorten the learning curve, and reduce the time needed to develop and begin initial production,” MDA said in contract documents.