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4h ago

U.S. Assembles Inert Sentinel ICBM in Full-Scale Preflight Exercise

The full-scale vertical assembly shows design maturity by validating transport and pad procedures for 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

  • The Air Force and Northrop Grumman finished a four-month Pathfinder logistics exercise that culminated in an inert LGM‑35A being stacked and de‑stacked at Vandenberg on Sept. 14, 2026.
  • The 719th Test Squadron and Northrop completed the first flight-test Critical Design Review, which officials say confirms the missile’s design maturity and that hardware testing meets requirements for a 2027 test launch.
  • Pathfinder tested nationwide transport, specialized vehicles, mobile cranes and pad interfaces to prove crews can safely move and assemble full missile sections on a launch pad.
  • The program is still under a Pentagon-ordered restructure after major cost growth and a Nunn‑McCurdy notification, and Milestone B recertification plus final cost and schedule decisions remain unresolved.
  • Sentinel is designed to replace the Minuteman III, involves more than 500 industry partners and a workforce of about 10,000, and aims for initial capability in the early 2030s if the 2027 flight test and recertification succeed.