Sandia National Laboratories and the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Kansas City National Security Campus have completed the first production unit of the Mark 21 replacement fuze, which will be integrated with the W87-0 warhead for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile and Sentinel ICBM.
Sandia Labs said Tuesday the first Mark 21 production unit, which was approved and accepted in March, is now in the full-rate production phase.
“Sandia’s role is to deliver a fuze that meets the Air Force’s requirements. Completing the first production unit is a visible milestone in maintaining a credible deterrent,” said Brad Boswell, a director at Sandia’s nuclear deterrence modernization program.
“It demonstrates that we are providing the necessary capability for the U.S. nuclear deterrent into the future,” added Boswell.
Sandia Labs will now conduct flight and ground testing, modeling and simulation of the fuze as part of the stockpile assessment.
NNSA partners with the U.S. Air Force on the Mark 21 Fuze Replacement Program.
