On May 5, the U.S. Air Force aborted a planned LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launch. According to Air Force Global Strike Command, “the missile computer detected a fault in the sequence of checks it does prior to launching. Upon detection of this fault, it shut itself down.” The failed test comes...
On July 25, Boeing announced it would withdraw its bid to produce the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), a system intended to replace the Air Force’s Minuteman III ICBMs. In a statement, Boeing said “the current acquisition approach does not provide a level playing field for fair competition,” leaving Northrop Grumman as the sole bidder for...
On July 16, the U.S. Air Force released a request for proposals for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), its next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The GBSD is intended to replace the Minuteman III ICBMs currently in service. Under the solicitation, one prime contractor—either Boeing or Northrop Grumman—will produce the first 5 lots of the...
Like its three predecessors, the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review reaffirmed the need for the nuclear triad of bombers, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Now comes the hard part. With the authorization and appropriation cycle for fiscal 2020 now underway, the United States is moving closer to the coming bow wave of modernization efforts...
On August 21, the U.S. Air Force awarded contracts to Boeing and Northrop Grumman, $349.2 million and $328.6 million respectively, for the development of a new ICBM to replace the nearly 50 year old LGM-30G Minuteman III. Part of the nascent Ground Based Strategic Deterrence project (GBSD), the companies will have until August 2020 to...
