Washington Business Journal:
Raytheon Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman are the winners of a $4.1 billion ballistic missile defense contract.
The Department of Defense made the awards Tuesday, and said the three defense giants will compete for task orders under the multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (MAIDIQ) contract.
The Missile Defense Agency in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is overseeing the contract. The main purpose of the contract is “to provide autonomous acquisition and persistent precision tracking and discrimination to optimize the defensive capability of the Ballistic Missile Defense system and counter evolving threats,” the Pentagon said.
Each company has a variety of missile defense programs underway, especially as geopolitical tensions rise and U.S. defense budgets see long-sought increases. Ballistic missiles in particular are considered serious threats to national security, because they’re fast, travel long distances and can carry weapons of mass destruction.
