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The US Missile Defense Agency has selected Northrop Grumman’s solution for the Glide Phase Interceptor program, the first-of-its-kind defensive countermeasure against hypersonic missile threats.
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This decision comes following a three-year development partnership between Northrop Grumman and the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to produce a purpose-built, innovative design capable of defeating existing and emerging hypersonic threats.
As part of the next phase, Northrop Grumman will refine the preliminary design of the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI), which will fire from the US Navy’s Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense destroyers and Aegis Ashore using the standard Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) equipped across allied navies, including the Royal Australian Navy.
Wendy Williams, vice-president and general manager, launch and missile defence systems, Northrop Grumman, said, “GPI adds mission critical standoff to warfighters in scenarios where distance creates an advantage.”
Northrop Grumman’s next phase will also demonstrate system performance in hypersonic environments prior to conducting its preliminary design review and complete flight experiments ahead of schedule, leveraging the company’s own flight-proven systems.
“Tailorable to a multitude of mission requirements, Northrop Grumman’s revolutionary solution is designed to perform in the evolving threat landscape,” Williams said.
Northrop Grumman’s design includes a suite of advanced technologies, such as a seeker for threat tracking and hit-to-kill accuracy, a re-ignitable upper-stage engine used for threat containment and a dual engagement mode to engage threats across a wide range of altitudes.
In addition to working with the US government, Northrop Grumman will also partner with the Japanese Ministry of Defence as part of the GPI Cooperative Development program with the Japan Ministry of Defense to deliver interceptors to the MDA.
This collaborative research program was announced in May 2024, with Mike Pinkston, vice-president of launch vehicles, Northrop Grumman, saying at the time, “We are combining the technical strength of our two countries to develop an effective counter-hypersonic solution. We are committed to investing in technology that delivers the capabilities our customers need now to respond to growing threats.”
Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defence technology company.
