The Pentagon has announced a tender to develop an engine to replace Russia’s RD-180 mounted on Atlas-5 rockets.
Lieutenant General Samuel Greaves, head the Air Force's Space and Missiles Systems Center, informed that the winner companies are to receive $160 million. The tender results are to be announced in September.
The decision not to use the RD-180 engines during the launches of its military and intelligence satellites last year because of national security reasons and the escalation of relations with Russia amid the Ukrainian crisis.