The Air Force awarded two contracts Oct. 3, 2017, for upgrading the system that enables an aircraft to control an intercontinental ballistic missile’s launch from a silo in the ground.

The three-year contracts, of about $81 million each, were awarded to Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Littleton, Colorado, and Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The awards begin a design competition for upgrading the nuclear command-and-control mission system that provides U.S. Strategic Command with the capability to launch ICBMs through commands from the Navy’s E-6B Mercury. Both the current Minuteman III and future Ground Based Strategic Deterrent ICBMs require an alternate launch control capability should anything interfere with the ability of the ground-based facilities to launch ICBMs.

The goal is to field the upgraded replacement system by 2024.