Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, a business unit of Lockheed Martin Corp., is being awarded a competitive firm-fixed-price contract from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

In a notice posted on the U.S. government’s main contracting website, the Missile Defense Agency announced that under the new contract, the Lockheed Martin will further develop and refine their Hypersonic Defense Weapon Systems Concept Definition White Paper titled “Valkyrie Interceptor Terminal Hypersonic Defense”.

“The work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas with an estimated completion date of May 2, 2020,” through a notice posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website, adding that “the performance period is from Sept 3, 2019 through  May 2, 2020.”  

The classified ‘Valkyrie’ program is operated by Missile Defense Agency and covers the development of next-generation of a weapon system that ability to intercept and destroy hypersonic missile threats.

According to open source, the new ‘Valkyrie’ hypersonic defense weapon system is designing to effectively deter Russia and China, the two largest threats mentioned in the National Defense Strategy.

In an op-ed for The New York Times, a former Obama administration White House official, who asked not to be named said that Hypersonic missiles are ideal for waging a decapitation strike — assassinating a country’s top military or political officials – “Instant leader-killers.”

The enemy’s hypersonic missiles potentially could be aimed, in theory, at nuclear-armed ballistic missiles position, American bombers and other aircraft at bases, military headquarters or the missiles could attack vital land- or sea-based radars anywhere.

According to Express.co.uk, national security experts have warned the U.S. is behind Russia and China in the development of hypersonic weapon technologies.

A cutting-edge ‘Valkyrie’ system will be designed to minimize potential threats that aim to defeat hypersonic, maneuvering weapons.

Boeing Company and Raytheon Missile Systems are also being awarded a competitive firm-fixed-price contract.

The total value of this contract is $4,356,864.00 for Boeing.  Under the new contract, the contractor will further develop and refine their Hypersonic Defense Weapon Systems Concept Definition White Paper titled “Hypervelocity Interceptor (HYVINT) Concept for Hypersonic Weapons”.

Raytheon Missile Systems will further develop and refine their Hypersonic Defense Weapon Systems Concept Definition White Paper titled “SM3-HAWK”.  The total value of this contract is $4,445,140.00.