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Northrop Grumman has confirmed the successful live, static test fire of a Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) stage two solid rocket motor for the US Air Force.
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Conducted at the US Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tennessee, the test was conducted in a vacuum chamber simulating real-world environmental conditions the solid rocket motor would experience during high altitude and space flight.
Sarah Willoughby, vice-president and program manager for Sentinel at Northrop Grumman, said, “Our successful test moves us forward for qualification testing in partnership with the Air Force.”
The test data collected will be analysed to determine the performance of the engine and match the data with digitally engineered model predictions, critical to maturing the design and lowering risk.
This test was conducted under the company’s engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) or design contract for Sentinel. Northrop Grumman continues to perform on this phase and is working closely with the Air Force on progressing EMD milestones.
“The test’s data gives us an accurate reading of our design’s performance and now informs our modelling and designs. This lowers risk and builds confidence in our approach to deliver the next-generation ICBM capability to the Air Force,” Willoughby added.
The US Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex operates more than 68 aerodynamic and propulsion wind tunnels, rocket and turbine engine test cells, environmental chambers, arc heaters, ballistic ranges, sled tracks, centrifuges, and other specialised units.
Northrop Grumman’s Sentinel program will replace the Cold War-era Minuteman III ICBMs that serve as the ground-based leg of the United States nuclear triad and is designed to be viable through to 2075.
Northrop Grumman leads a nationwide team for the EMD contract. The team is responsible for designing the most technologically advanced portion of America’s ground-based strategic deterrent and is closely partnered with the Air Force to continue progress on EMD milestones, maturing the design while reducing risk.
The Sentinel nationwide team includes Aerojet Rocketdyne, Bechtel, CAE, Clark Construction, Collins Aerospace, General Dynamics, HDT, Honeywell, Kratos, Lockheed Martin, and Textron Systems, along with hundreds of other small, medium and large businesses across the United States with extensive ICBM missile systems expertise.
