Northrop Grumman continues to achieve technical milestones within the development of the intercontinental ballistic missile Sentinel, even with ongoing program restructuring with the US Air Force.
CEO of the company Kathy Worden said, that Northrop and the Air Force are now forming a new program execution structure, however, work continues as usual. Recent achievements include the successful completion of a full-scale qualification test of the second stage of the rocket's solid propellant engine, and conducting a critical review of the Sentinel Launch Support System project, which opens the way to further stages of production and certification.
According to Worden, the company is confidently moving forward, despite the difficult period after that, as in January 2024 2015, the Pentagon announced a violation of the Nunn–McCurdy situation, when costs and deadlines exceed acceptable limits. A Pentagon review confirmed the need for the program, but showed an increase in spending on 81% and a projected minimum two-year delay.
The main cost overruns are related to large-scale civil engineering — upgrading hundreds of mines and launchers of the Minuteman III system, which turned out to be too outdated. As a result, the Air Force decided to build a new infrastructure from scratch, while modernizing the nuclear command system, control and communication.
In the budget for 2026 fiscal year the US Air Force invited 3,7 billion dollars for the Sentinel program, and Congress additionally allocated 2,5 billion dollars to reduce risks. Part of these funds will go towards updating the Minuteman III (500 million dollars), to provide a back-up capability in case of further delays, and improving battle units (100 million dollars).
However, not all of the funds will be directed directly to Northrop or its contractors — some will be received, in particular, US Army Corps of Engineers to perform its own tasks within the program.
Currently, the Sentinel missile component is considered relatively stable, however, due to the complex integration with new launch facilities, the Air Force does not have a projected first launch date. As estimated by the GAO, the first flight may not take place earlier 2028 year.
At the same time, the Pentagon is considering extending the service life of the Minuteman III to 2050 year, to maintain nuclear deterrence, especially against the background of that, that the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty is in effect (SALT II) with Russia ends in February, and the prospect of its continuation remains uncertain.
This context makes the Sentinel program key to maintaining the US strategic balance, especially given the rapid build-up of China's nuclear potential.