NEW YORK, February 11. /TASS/. The US Air Force has halted efforts to design and build the command-and-launch segment and associated infrastructure for the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), due to cost-restructuring initiatives, a service spokesperson said.
"The Air Force has ordered the Northrop Grumman Corporation to suspend the design, testing, and construction related to the Command and Launch Segment, specifically [Launch Facility]-26 at Vandenberg SFB, California, the Peacekeeper LF at Hill AFB, Utah, the Physical Security Systems Test Facility at Dugway, Utah, LF derivative training devices (including the Maintenance Training Facility and Security Forces Tactics Trainer at each missile wing), and the LF Standard Design," the spokesperson stated, citing the Defense One media outlet.
The Air Force is also evaluating various aspects of development that may be delayed or stopped. According to Defense One, the restructuring announcement came last July after the Sentinel program’s projected costs increased by 81% to $141 billion.
Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden stated in late January that, according to US government projections, the restructuring would take 18 to 24 months. She added that the company remained in close contact with the Pentagon and was ready to optimize solutions where necessary.
Earlier reports indicated that the US Department of Defense plans to replace the Minuteman III intercontinental-range ballistic missile, which was designed in the 1960s, with the Sentinel missile. This shift is part of a broader strategy to upgrade national nuclear capabilities. According to the Pentagon, the new missile won’t be deployed until 2031. In March 2024, a US Air Force spokesperson noted that initial flight tests for the missile had been delayed by two years, at least until February 2026.