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Northrop Grumman has successfully demonstrated weapon task plans for the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system’s Ground-Based Interceptors (GBI) during the first dual interceptor mission against an ICBM target for the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA).
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Northrop Grumman is one of the defence industry primes currently tendering for the $1 billion-plus AIR 6500 program to provide integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) and multi-domain joint battle management capabilities for the Australian Defence Force.
The success of this test marks a major milestone for Northrop Grumman's ambition to provide it's IAMD Battle Command System (IBCS) solution to the ADF. During the GMD flight test, known as FTG-11, a Northrop Grumman-produced ICBM target threat was fired from a launch complex at Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site in the Marshall Islands.
Northrop Grumman’s ground systems integrated data from a space sensor with data from land and sea-based radars, created a battle plan, communicated with the silos to launch two ground-based interceptors powered by the company’s boost vehicles, and guided the interceptors to the target where the kill vehicles destroyed the threat.
Dan Verwiel, vice president and general manager, missile defence and protective systems at Northrop Grumman, said, "This critical test of the nation’s defence shield showcases Northrop Grumman’s launch vehicles and our battlefield management and fire control capabilities."
As Boeing's strategic partner for the MDA’s GMD program, Northrop Grumman provides the deputy program director and is responsible for the development, integration, operations and sustainment of the ground systems and interceptor boost vehicle. Under contract directly to MDA, Northrop Grumman designs, builds and launches the ICBM target rocket.
"This was the first time Northrop Grumman had three rockets operating at the same time; two interceptors launched against our target, and the systems worked as planned," said Rich Straka, vice president and general manager, launch vehicles, Northrop Grumman.
Northrop Grumman personnel in Huntsville, Alabama, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, develop the GMD ground systems products. The company’s missile defence interceptors and related target vehicles are primarily produced at the company’s engineering and manufacturing facility in Chandler, Arizona, with solid rocket motor propulsion manufactured in Magna, Utah, and rocket cases in Clearfield, Utah.
Final assembly and integration of the interceptor and targets occur at the company’s facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base and Huntsville. Also, the company provides the kill vehicle’s inertial measurement unit produced in Woodland Hills, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernisation to customers worldwide.
