Air Force to Address Sentinel Program Issues With Northrop Grumman Contract Reconstruction

The U.S. Air Force is planning to reconstruct the LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile program to address the project’s issues, according to Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition.

Northrop Grumman, the effort’s prime contractor that secured the $13.3 billion contract in 2020, will be affected by the plans, along with its partners Bechtel and Clark Construction.

The plan to rebid is part of the Department of Defense’s decision to continue working on the initiative, which has seen an 81 percent increase in cost caused by changes in ground-based infrastructure plans, Breaking Defense reported.

While there are still no concrete restructuring plans, Hunter, a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker and a past Wash100 awardee, said breaking up the deal’s infrastructure portion is one of the options on the table.

The service branch reasoned to Congress that the decision to advance the Sentinel program is because there is no alternative capability available. 

Among the project’s recent developments is the start of construction of the Sentinel’s Software Mission Assurance Center at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, which will provide government and private sector software developers with a collaborative space to advance the effort.