Naomi Cooper
Northrop Grumman has completed multiple tests, including shroud fly-off and missile modal tests, for the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile as part of the program’s engineering, manufacturing and development phase.
The company said Tuesday it collaborated with an industry partner to conduct the shroud fly-off test of a Sentinel ICBM at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, where the missile’s shroud flew off but did not strike the enclosed payload.
The forward and aft sections of the Sentinel ICBM missile were also evaluated during a test campaign at Northrop’s Strategic Missile Test and Production Complex in Promontory, Utah.
Northrop said the tests aim to collect data about the missile’s inflight structural dynamics to help engineering teams mature models, ensure flight success and lower risks for the program.
“The shroud fly-off test proved our modeling predictions are solid, while the missile stack test demonstrated inflight missile performance, helping validate assumptions and fine-tune models,” said Sarah Willoughby, vice president and program manager of Sentinel at Northrop.
Sentinel will serve as the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation ground-based missile weapon system, replacing the fielded Minuteman III ICBM.
