The US Navy commenced construction of a new engineering test facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, intended to bolster the development of its next-generation submarine-launched ballistic missile system, the Trident II D5 Life Extension 2 (D5LE2).
The Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU) hosted the groundbreaking ceremony on 4 February 2026, in the presence of Strategic Systems Programs director Vice Admiral Johnny Wolfe Jr., NOTU executive officer commander Brian Purvis, and others.
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The 130,000ft2 facility will offer dedicated spaces for prototyping, development, testing and evaluation activities related to support equipment and flight hardware for the D5LE2 missile.
Planned features include eight laboratory areas, nine heavy-lift cranes, a backup power generator and administrative as well as support sections.
Construction was contracted to Walsh Federal in November 2025 at a value of $166m, with completion expected in January 2028.
Vice Admiral Wolfe said: “This Engineering Test Facility represents a critical investment in the infrastructure that underpins our most vital mission.
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By GlobalData“This building will be a hub of innovation, a place where our talented engineers and scientists can develop and test cutting-edge technologies, ensuring our Sailors have the most accurate, reliable system at their disposal, modernizing the most survivable and effective leg of our nuclear triad for decades to come.”
At the same event, Wolfe and Purvis opened the recently renovated sonobuoy building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
This refurbishment marks the first step in a broader multi-phase effort to modernise existing NOTU infrastructure by refurbishing, retrofitting and restoring older facilities.
NOTU commanding officer Captain Doug Pratt said: “With this groundbreaking, we are making a direct and powerful investment in our program’s future. This building is and will be a tangible addition to the Navy’s strategic deterrence capability – a place where industry, civilian, and military partners will forge the future of Trident D5LE2.”
Since its inception more than 70 years ago, NOTU has played a key role in supporting development and testing of US Navy submarine-launched ballistic missile systems.
Many current NOTU facilities date to the 1960s, with several last updated in the 1980s for Trident II D5 programme activities.
From 2024 to 2032, NOTU has plans to undertake 28 infrastructure projects to meet evolving requirements for sea-based strategic deterrence initiatives.
