DoD awards $508 million to Northrop Grumman for new missile-target dummies
The Department of Defense has granted Northrop Grumman a $508 million contract to produce intermediate- and intercontinental-range ballistic missile target dummies for testing the United States’ Ground-Based Midcourse Defense and the upcoming Next-Generation Interceptor.
The Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency has awarded Northrop Grumman a $508 million follow-on contract to deliver ballistic missile target dummies for both intermediate-range and intercontinental-range scenarios. These targets enable realistic flight-test trials of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system and the future Next-Generation Interceptor, allowing assessment of sensors, command structures and the interceptors themselves.
The agreement also covers integrated logistics for all government-supplied equipment used in the tests. Northrop Grumman will conduct the work at sites in Arizona, Utah and Maryland, while launch operations are expected to be carried out from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The effort reflects growing U.S. investment in missile defense amid rising concerns about ballistic threats from nations such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. President Donald Trump has previously promoted a nationwide “Golden Dome” to shield the continental United States from aerial attacks.
Why it matters
The contract strengthens U.S. capability to test and improve systems that protect the homeland from long-range ballistic missile attacks.
In this story
