Lockheed Martin will partner with Alaska Aerospace Corporation to develop and sustain the US Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) ground-based midcourse defence (GMD) system.

The GMD development and sustainment contract will include development, manufacturing, test, training, operations and sustainment support.

The defence system will defend the US against a limited attack by intermediate and long-range ballistic missiles.

The MDA will issue a final request for proposals for the contract this year and will award the contract in 2011.

As part of the contract, work will also be carried out in Huntsville in Alabama, Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado and Eareckson Air Station in Alaska.