Particle.news
Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store
5 ARTICLES
·
4w ago

Air Force and Northrop Grumman Vertically Assemble Inert Sentinel ICBM at Vandenberg

The Pathfinder stacking proved missile movement and emplacement procedures and supports a planned 2027 flight test.

An inert LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile erected on a test-ped at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. The vertical integration test event, called Pathfinder, demonstrated the maturity of the missile's design and verified that all critical subsystems are on track for initial flight testing in 2027. (Northrop Grumman courtesy photo)
First fully integrated Sentinel missile (left) missile launch illustration (right)

Overview

  • Teams at Vandenberg Space Force Base completed a Pathfinder exercise that vertically stacked and de-stacked an inert LGM-35A Sentinel to test physical assembly on a launch pad with no warhead or fuel.
  • The exercise validated nationwide transport methods, specialized mobile and lifting-crane operations, and mechanical and interface checks needed to move the missile from transport to emplacement.
  • Northrop Grumman and the Air Force’s 719th Test Squadron completed the first flight-test Critical Design Review, which program officials say confirms design maturity and hardware readiness for an initial flight test in 2027.
  • Program officials say Sentinel is on track for initial fielding in the early 2030s, aims to replace the Cold War–era Minuteman III across roughly 450 silos, and is planned to remain viable through 2075 while prototype silo work continues in Utah.
  • The milestone advances the modernization of the ground-based leg of the U.S. nuclear deterrent and will shape logistics, workforce and infrastructure needs at bases that host ICBM forces and at contractor sites supporting production and testing.