Missile Defense Agency Approves Digital Ecosystem Developed by Next Generation Interceptor Team

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has greenlighted the common software factory solution and associated digital infrastructure developed by the Next Generation Interceptor team of Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Missiles & Defense. With this accredited digital ecosystem in place, the program is set to seamlessly integrate, make critical decisions and accelerate software design and development, Northrop Grumman said Monday.

In a statement, Lisa Brown, vice president of the NGI program at Northrop, said the company has successfully developed, tested, demonstrated and received customer approval for its NGI software factory in record time.

The common software factory brings the Northrop and Raytheon team together with the MDA into a single, agile, secure and efficient development environment, providing the agency with the ability to review and collaborate on code development and release. It is equipped with a set of tools, process workflows, scripts and environments configured to produce software deployable artifacts with minimal human intervention.

NG said that together with its strategic partner, Raytheon, it can bring flight-proven missile defense experience including ground systems, battle management, command and control, interceptor boost vehicles and kill vehicles, as well as innovative technologies, agile processes and proven facilities. The duo is drawing from their past performance in interceptors to deliver a highly capable, affordable, low-risk solution that meets the customer’s schedule and ensures mission success.

Meanwhile, Melissa Morrison-Ellis, deputy program director of Next Generation Interceptor at Raytheon, said the digital ecosystem accelerates the software development timeline, ensuring that warfighters are equipped with defensive interceptors that protect the U.S. from the threat of a rogue missile strike.