Image Credits: Lockheed Martin The US Navy has moved its W93/Mk7 nuclear warhead programme into the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. The programme passed Milestone B earlier this year. The next step is to finish the production design and show that the system can be manufactured as required by the Navy. The Navy announced the move on September 24. It has not given a production schedule, cost estimate or date for when the W93/Mk7 could be deployed. The Navy said the W93/Mk7 is the first US nuclear warhead and reentry system programme started in nearly four decades. The programme is being managed by the Navy’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive Strategic Systems Programs (PAE SSP), working with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and industry partners. Milestone B is an acquisition milestone that allows a programme to enter the Engineering and Manufacturing Development stage. For the W93/Mk7, the work will now focus on finishing the production design and proving that the design can be manufactured. Vice Adm. Douglas Williams, director of PAE SSP, said the W93/Mk7 is intended to give the Navy flexibility and adaptability for future warfighter requirements. He also said the programme will support an uninterrupted at-sea deterrent. Williams credited PAE SSP, the NNSA and industry partners for helping move the programme into the next phase. The programme is being developed with the NNSA and associated national laboratories under the interagency Nuclear Weapons Life Cycle process. The work covers design, development and production. W93 Will Be Used With Trident II D5 The W93/Mk7 is being developed for the US Navy’s Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile system. The Trident II D5 currently carries the Navy’s W76 and W88 nuclear warheads. The warheads are housed inside reentry bodies. The Navy’s future D5 Life Extension 2 (D5LE2) system will incorporate the W93/Mk7 alongside the existing W76 and W88 families. The last new US nucl