Lockheed Martin Gets $204.3 Million Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Deal, Total Project Cost Jumps To $2.4 Billion

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Lockheed Martin a $204.3 million Missile Defense Agency contract Wednesday for Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (ABMD) development. This has spiked the Aegis project’s total cost to $2.4 billion.

Lockheed’s Aegis program is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2018, according to the Defense Department.

“[Lockheed Martin] has been awarded a $204.3 million… contract for Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense… development, and the Adaptation of Aegis Ashore efforts,” the department said, in a news release.

Washington started an Aegis Ashore base in Romania this May and is working toward launching another one in Poland in 2018 as part of the European missile shield.

Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea are planning to install their latest destroyers with Aegis Baseline 9 in order to improve their integrated air and missile defense system. Two Japanese Atago-class destroyers (27DD subclass) and three South Korean KDX-III Sejong-class destroyers will be installed with the Baseline 9 IAMD. Atago-class destroyers were first used in Japan in 1993 and in South Korea in 2008. The $490 million deal will have Lockheed’s SPY-1 radar.

“When paired with the MK 41 Vertical Launching System, it is capable of delivering missiles for every mission and threat environment in naval warfare,” Lockheed reportedly said at the time.