Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Every stage of the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile has been tested at this point by the Air Force and Northrop Grumman, a company executive said here Monday.  Ben Davies, corporate vice president and president of Defense Systems at Northrop Grumman made the remark during a panel discussion on modernizing the nuclear […]

This fall, the Defense Department may approve an updated acquisition strategy for the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel future ICBM before a possible re-approval of the program for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) by early to mid-2027. “We are definitely making sure we get the restructure of the program right,” Brig. Gen. William Rogers, program executive […]

This fall, the Defense Department may approve an updated acquisition strategy for the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel future ICBM before a possible re-approval of the program for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) by early to mid-2027. “We are definitely making sure we get the restructure of the program right,” Brig. Gen. William Rogers, program executive […]

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Every stage of the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile has been tested at this point by the Air Force and Northrop Grumman, a company executive said here Monday.  Ben Davies, corporate vice president and president of Defense Systems at Northrop Grumman made the remark during a panel discussion on modernizing the nuclear […]

The second U.S. Air Force B-21 Raider stealth bomber by Northrop Grumman has arrived at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), Calif., for flight testing, the service said Thursday. “With the arrival of the second B-21 Raider, our flight test campaign gains substantial momentum,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in a statement. The Air Force […]

The Air Force inventory of silos able to launch Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) is in no immediate danger of dropping below the threshold of 400 established by Congress in the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. This information comes as the Air Force transitions from the 1970s-era Boeing LGM-30G Minuteman III to the […]

The House of Representatives fiscal 2026 national defense authorization bill, passed last week, would require the U.S. Air Force to submit to lawmakers a plan to sustain aging components on Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. The annual plan would need to be submitted on LGM-35A Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) by Boeing until the […]

The House of Representatives fiscal 2026 national defense authorization bill, passed last week, would require the U.S. Air Force to submit to lawmakers a plan to sustain aging components on Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. The annual plan would need to be submitted on LGM-35A Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) by Boeing until the […]

The Air Force inventory of silos able to launch Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) is in no immediate danger of dropping below the threshold of 400 established by Congress in the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. This information comes as the Air Force transitions from the 1970s-era Boeing LGM-30G Minuteman III to the […]

The second U.S. Air Force B-21 Raider stealth bomber by Northrop Grumman has arrived at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), Calif., for flight testing, the service said Thursday. “With the arrival of the second B-21 Raider, our flight test campaign gains substantial momentum,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in a statement. The Air Force […]

The White House has requested Congress include $3.93 billion for procurement of a Columbia-class submarine in its consideration of a potential continuing resolution (CR) to avoid a government shutdown.  “Without this anomaly, the deployment plans for future [nuclear ballistic missile submarines] could result in delays in a day-to-day slip for the program,” the Donald Trump […]

Construction plans have been approved for the Sentinel missile wings at F.E. Warren Air Force Base (AFB), Wyo. and Malmstrom AFB, Mont., Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) told the Exchange Monitor in the Senate speaker’s lobby Tuesday. The 90th wing and the 341st wings at these bases would make up two out of three missile wings […]

As the Air Force and Department of Defense restructure the Sentinel program, the Government Accountability Office notes there is a shift to starting to convert to new silos at the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base (AFB), Wyo. “Despite the delays stemming from the Sentinel restructuring, [Air Force] Global Strike Command has […]

Construction plans have been approved for the Sentinel missile wings at F.E. Warren Air Force Base (AFB), Wyo. and Malmstrom AFB, Mont., Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) told the Exchange Monitor in the Senate speaker’s lobby Tuesday. The 90th wing and the 341st wings at these bases would make up two out of three missile wings […]

Five organizations are being tasked with developing missile prototype designs for the nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile program, according to an emailed press release by the National Security Technology Accelerator. The contracting platform National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL), upon inquiry from the Exchange Monitor, said Leidos, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman were awarded as prime […]

Five organizations are being tasked with developing missile prototype designs for the nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile program, according to an emailed press release by the National Security Technology Accelerator. The contracting platform National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL), upon inquiry from the Exchange Monitor, said Leidos, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman were awarded as prime […]

The E3 countries, consisting of France, Britain and Germany, initiated a process Thursday to reimpose sanctions on Iran through a snapback mechanism in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The U.S. State Department said in a statement that the E3 has “ laid out a clear case of Iran’s continuing ‘significant non-performance’ of its […]

The Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Lt. Gen. Andrew Gebara,said on a Wednesday webinar that the first Sentinel flight test would be “well prior to” 2028. A Government Accountability Office report earlier this year estimated that the first flight test for the Northrop Grumman-made intercontinental ballistic missile Sentinel […]

The Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Lt. Gen. Andrew Gebara,said on a Wednesday webinar that the first Sentinel flight test would be “well prior to” 2028. A Government Accountability Office report earlier this year estimated that the first flight test for the Northrop Grumman-made intercontinental ballistic missile Sentinel […]

The Air Force has scrapped three town halls this month to discuss the planned LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by Northrop Grumman. Two of the town halls were scheduled for Aug. 19 and Aug. 20 in Lewistown and Conrad, Mont., respectively, to discuss Sentinel for the Air Force 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air […]

While the Senate’s appropriations bill for the Department of Defense includes a $21.7 billion topline increase, many nuclear modernization programs in the DoD got a reduction. The Senate Appropriations Committee last Thursday voted to advance its $852.5 billion fiscal 2026 defense spending bill, approving a $21.7 billion topline increase that boosts funds for shipbuilding, munitions […]

The Air Force has not divulged how much it reprogrammed in fiscal 2024 funds from the Sentinel to modify the Qatari jet for use as a stand-in Air Force One by President Donald Trump. The Qatari gift of a Boeing 747-8i luxury airliner to the U.S. for use as Air Force One was a gift […]

While the Senate’s appropriations bill for the Department of Defense includes a $21.7 billion topline increase, many nuclear modernization programs in the DoD got a reduction. The Senate Appropriations Committee last Thursday voted to advance its $852.5 billion fiscal 2026 defense spending bill, approving a $21.7 billion topline increase that boosts funds for shipbuilding, munitions […]

After President Donald Trump ordered two nuclear submarines moved near Russian waters, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded with a warning in the Russian state news agency Tass Monday. Trump’s submarine repositioning was in response to former Russian president and current Russian deputy chair of the security council Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev was responding to what […]

The Air Force has not divulged how much it reprogrammed in fiscal 2024 funds from the Sentinel to modify the Qatari jet for use as a stand-in Air Force One by President Donald Trump. The Qatari gift of a Boeing 747-8i luxury airliner to the U.S. for use as Air Force One was a gift […]

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is starting market research to find an “innovative missile defense launcher” and support equipment technologies that could be delivered within two years as part of the Golden Dome initiative. A Request For Information (RFI) published last week said the agency is seeking responses encompassing system-level, component-level, upgrades to existing systems, […]

Northrop Grumman said on Tuesday that the company and the U.S. Air Force completed the first qualification test of a stage-two solid rocket motor for the LGM-35A Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. The test was completed at the Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tenn., and “conducted in a vacuum chamber simulating flight conditions, […]

Iran agreed to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit Tehran in the coming weeks to discuss relations between Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Iran’s deputy foreign minister told reporters last week. The IAEA told Reuters that IAEA director general Rafael Grossi was “actively engaging with all parties involved in the Iran nuclear […]

Northrop Grumman said on Tuesday that the company and the U.S. Air Force completed the first qualification test of a stage-two solid rocket motor for the LGM-35A Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. The test was completed at the Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tenn., and “conducted in a vacuum chamber simulating flight conditions, […]

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is starting market research to find an “innovative missile defense launcher” and support equipment technologies that could be delivered within two years as part of the Golden Dome initiative. A Request For Information (RFI) published last week said the agency is seeking responses encompassing system-level, component-level, upgrades to existing systems, […]