On April 24, the U.S. Department of Defense issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), a new interceptor for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System. According to the release, the solicitation period will conclude on July 31, 2020, with additional extensions available given the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The Pentagon had previously circulated a classified draft NGI RFP to industry in August 2019. The NGI program is expected to cost around $11 billion to field 20 interceptors, with testing expected for 2025-26 and deployment expected for 2027-28.