New JV Bids For USAF Launch Range Contract

A joint venture between defense giants InDyne, Lockheed Martin and URS Corp. is bidding for a contract to support consolidation of U.S. Air Force launch and target ranges.

"These are exciting times for the Air Force," said Gen. Lance Lord (Retired), president of the CoRE joint venture. "The LISC [Launch and Test Range System Integrated Support Contract] will achieve a decades-long dream of standardizing Air Force launch operations on the two coasts to achieve significant cost savings through consolidation and efficiencies -- all while ensuring Eastern and Western Range mission success.

CoRE looks forward to working with our Air Force partners to achieve this vision for range transformation while meeting their vital national mission of assured access to space."

The aim of LISC is to merge three contracts at the Air Force's two main launch ranges -- Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California -- into a single range support contract for improved efficiency.

The two sites are used to deploy satellites on expendable launch vehicles. They are also used for test and verification launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and other tasks.