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Northrop Grumman has successfully manufactured 2,000 solid rocket motors for the US Navy’s Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) system with the completion of first-stage A1000 and second-stage B1000 motors.
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The Trident II D5 system is provided to the US Navy by prime contractor Lockheed Martin, which develops and produces the missile and support equipment. It has completed 190 successful flight tests since deployment with no motor failures.
The Trident II D5 missile will continue to serve as the seaborne leg of the US Nuclear Triad for the foreseeable future, as part of its ongoing support for the US Navy’s strategic deterrence mission, Northrop Grumman has manufactured:
- More than 800 first-stage tactical motors
- More than 800 second-stage tactical motors
- More than 370 third-stage tactical motors since assuming the scope of work in 1996
- And successfully cast over 86 million pounds of propellant for D5 motors
Wendy Williams, vice-president of propulsion systems at Northrop Grumman, said: “Our customers rely on our solid rocket motors to conduct their most important missions. The unmatched reliability, record-breaking mission success and planned life expectancy of the Navy’s SLBM system speak to the design of the propulsion and our ability to consistently produce critical motors.”
The Trident II D5 SLBM is a three-stage, solid-fuel, inertially guided missile with a range of 4,000 nautical miles. The missile is launched by the pressure of expanding gas within the launch tube.
As part of the celebration of this milestone, US Navy Vice Admiral Johnny Wolfe, director for strategic systems programs, visited Northrop Grumman’s Bacchus, Utah, campus, where the Trident II D5 motors are cast and assembled.
“The unmatched reliability and performance of our sea-based nuclear deterrent is made possible by a dedicated team of military, civilian and industry partners who bring expertise and dedication to a truly extraordinary mission. The propulsion systems and their performance are critical to the success of that mission,” VADM Wolfe explained.
When the missile broaches the waterline, it enters the boost phase, expending its first, second and third-stage rocket motors. Northrop Grumman manufactures solid-propulsion boost motor systems for all three stages of the Trident II missile under a contract from prime contractor Lockheed Martin.
Northrop Grumman has partnered with Lockheed Martin for nearly seven decades and the Navy to provide solid rocket motors for the SLBM system.
Northrop Grumman and its legacy companies have supported the US Navy’s deterrence mission for over six decades, supplying propulsion for the nation’s Fleet Ballistic Missile submarine-launched systems starting with Polaris, Poseidon C3, Trident I C4 and then Trident II D5, which is less than halfway through its expected service life.
