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The Pentagon is making progress developing a new target round for test the effectiveness of U.S. missile defenses. Contractor Northrop Grumman announced the first flight of a redesigned vehicle Jan. 8.
Northrop released very few details on the flight, not specifying when or where it took place or how far the new target vehicle flew. But the company did say the test was successful and “met all performance goals for the missile defense test event.” Northrop’s website also states that its ICBM target has launch facilities on Meck Island in the Marshall Islands and Kodiak, Alaska.
Back in 2011, the Missile Defense Agency awarded Northrop a contract to provide ballistic missile targets for testing defenses like the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system and the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system. Northrop repurposed Trident C4 first stage solid rocket motors from submarine-launched ballistic missiles to power their ICBM targets and has so far delivered 27 test vehicles, at a total value of roughly $1.9 billion.
With the Trident C4 rockets nearing the end of their service life, Northrop focused on a next-generation solution based on the SR119 solid rocket motor from the retired land-based Peacekeeper ICBM.
Working first with the Air Force and later the Space Force, Northrop completed a static test fire in 2022 and “pathfinding” operations in 2024. Pathfinding refers to integration, stacking, and testing on inert hardware to validate new approaches.
The redesigned target vehicle cleared its critical design review in July 2024 and Northrop said at the time it was targeting late 2025 for the first flight.
The successful first flight provides a boost to the Pentagon and MDA’s efforts to develop Golden Dome, the ambitious missile defense shield for the U.S. homeland. A key component on Golden Dome will be the Next-Generation Interceptor, and MDA budget documents state that the new target vehicle will “support future Next-Generation Interceptor testing.”
Lockheed is developing the NGI, having beaten out Northrop in April 2024.
The new target could prove valuable for all sorts of testing—Northrop’s release notes that it is “compatible with advanced front ends to simulate sophisticated, long-range ballistic missile threats.”
The release also touts Northrop’s use of digital tools in the redesign process, including a digital twin of the design, virtual reality simulations of stacking and integration, and augmented reality tech to cut down on “mechanical assembly time.”
“By embedding digital technology into every phase of the ICBM target redesign and new integration processes, we have streamlined field operations, enhanced operational safety and driven cost-effectiveness for our customers,” Robin Heard, director of targets and interceptors at Northrop, said in a statement. “The significant efficiencies identified during the redesigned target’s first pathfinding and maiden launch will positively impact future flight tests.”
Spokespeople for Northrop and MDA did not immediately respond to queries.
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org