The two companies vying for the US Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA’s) Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) programme, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, have recently announced reaching some project milestones.
Lockheed Martin announced on 7 August 2023 that it has successfully validated designs for all elements of its NGI bid.
“Through a series of successful and on-schedule preliminary design reviews (PDRs) of all NGI major subsystems, the company demonstrated it has achieved design maturity and reduced risk for critical technologies,” the company stated.
Northrop Grumman has successfully manufactured the first set of solid rocket motor cases for its NGI programme. (Photo: Northrop Grumman)
It added, “Lockheed Martin’s NGI program is on track for its next major review: the All Up Round PDR. During this next major review MDA will assess if the program is ready to move forward in the acquisition process through Knowledge Point number one and ultimately on to the critical design review. The first Lockheed Martin NGI is forecast for delivery to the warfighter as early as FY2027.”
Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman announced on 8 August 2023 that it has successfully manufactured the first set of solid rocket motor cases for its NGI design.
“The NGI pathfinder motors demonstrate case designs [and] manufacturing processes [while allowing] the teams to test and conduct integration operations,” the company stated. “The completed cases will be filled with inert propellent and shipped to Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, where they will be integrated into an interceptor, continuing pathfinder activities and further proving out processes. Once integration is complete, the interceptor will be used for additional testing and process verification.”
An artist’s depiction of Lockheed Martin’s NGI concept in flight. (Image: Lockheed Martin)
The company added that the successful production of NGI solid rocket motor cases “is a significant achievement that demonstrates our expertise and robust designs and manufacturing capabilities”.
The NGI programme was formally initiated with a request for proposals in April 2020. A year later the MDA awarded competitive development and demonstration contracts to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman that were collectively worth USD 7.8 Bn (EUR 7 Bn).
Lockheed Martin is teamed with Aerojet Rocketdyne, while Northrop Grumman has teamed with Raytheon Missiles and Defense.
The MDA anticipates testing the NGI contenders in the mid-2020s and deploying a chosen solution by around 2028.
The NGI programme is designed to provide a more effective replacement solution to the MDA’s currently fielded Ground-based Midcourse Defense System capability. As well as providing more reliable interceptions of hostile ballistic missiles, the NGI programme is also expected to deal with the challenges posed by multiple re-entry vehicles, decoy warheads and electronic countermeasures.
The MDA will also have to address the growing threat from hypersonic glide vehicles and missiles flying non-ballistic trajectories.
Peter Felstead
