TRW Awarded $78 Million Air Force Contract

TRW Inc. has received a $78.7 million, five-year, follow-on contract to provide technical support to the Air Force Rocket Systems Launch Program, the company said Jan. 4.



The program provides the Department of Defense with the target launch and space launch vehicles necessary to support test programs associated with national and theatre missile defense, as well as other major defense programs.



TRW has provided systems engineering and technical assistance to the launch program for 20 years. Under this contract, the Cleveland company will provide technical help to ensure the successful launch of a new air-launched target system, while continuing its support for the current target and space launch, said Robert Strickler, vice president and general manager for TRW's Space & Missile Systems Division in Reston, Va.



TRW's primary role on the contract, awarded by the Air Force Space & Missile Systems Center's Test and Evaluation Directorate at Kirkland, Air Force Base, N.M., is to ensure the continued reliability of excess intercontinental ballistic missile motors through a comprehensive aging surveillance program.



Designed and built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the last Minuteman II first stage was more than 35 years old when it was launched as a strategic target in 2000 in support of the National Missile Defense Program.

With the Air Force team at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, TRW will continue to provide engineering support to ensure each motor and all components of the missile are properly refurbished, tested and ready for flight.