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Northrop Grumman has been formally cleared to produce its Next Generation Interceptor target vehicle through the development of the Modified Ballistic Re-Entry Vehicle-11 to support the Missile Defence Agency’s integrated master test plan.
Working in close partnership with the Missile Defence Agency (MDA), Northrop Grumman significantly accelerated the development timeline for the Modified Ballistic Re-Entry Vehicle-11 (MBRV-11), moving from contract award to critical design review (CDR) in under 16 months.
Northrop Grumman and MDA completed the CDR in October and, for the first time, combined the system requirements review (SRR) and preliminary design review (PDR) to streamline the development process.
To meet the ambitious development schedule, Northrop Grumman acquired all the hardware required to produce the target vehicles, commenced qualification testing prior to the CDR and initiated system-level avionics testing immediately after.
The MBRV-11 features a new front-end comprising a baseline vehicle design with four optional enhancement kits, offering flexibility to address varying mission needs. The MBRV-11 will be integrated with intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) targets to simulate advanced missile threats that the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) is designed to counter.
Robin Heard, director of targets at Northrop Grumman, said, “Through executing with speed and building for the future, MBRV-11 is a paradigm shift in the way we partner with MDA to develop new programs.”
The contract includes the production of five vehicles to support five missile defence test demonstrations, with the first flight test scheduled for 2027. Northrop Grumman leverages its flight-proven hardware and software designs, common system architectures and heritage avionics to meet the rigorous development and production schedule.
The MDA has also awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to upgrade its IRBM and ICBM target vehicles and integrate them with the MBRV-11, establishing Northrop Grumman as the end-to-end provider for target systems, including payloads and boost vehicles. The program supports MDA’s integrated master test plan, which includes ground tests, flight tests, warfighter training and combatant command exercise events.
“Our deep mission experience enabled us to compress the development timeline by combining the SRR and PDR, begin qualification testing ahead of CDR and quickly transition into production to meet the customer’s need for an early operational capability,” Heard said.
Northrop Grumman is a leading supplier of threat-representative target vehicles used to test and verify missile defence systems. By combining its industry-leading portfolio of advanced avionics, adaptable vehicle enhancement kits and advanced payloads with solid rocket motor technology expertise, Northrop Grumman rapidly configures target vehicles to replicate sophisticated adversary threats. Since 2011, the company has delivered 25 IRBM and ICBM target vehicles and supported 10 successful missile defence demonstrations.
