Naomi Cooper
Northrop Grumman has performed wind tunnel testing to demonstrate the design maturity of the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile system.
Scaled models of the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM underwent seven comprehensive test campaigns to measure how it would respond to conditions simulating missile launch procedures and various flight maneuvers, Northrop said Thursday.
Sarah Willoughby, vice president and program manager of the Sentinel initiative at Northrop, remarked that testing results agree with the predictions from the design model, validating the program’s model-based engineering approach.
The series of tests were conducted at private and government-run facilities across the U.S. in less than a year, according to Willoughby.
In September 2022, Northrop validated the design and manufacturing process for the future ICBM after completing the first inert stage-one and stage-two solid rocket motor casting.
The LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM will replace Minuteman III ICBM and serve as the ground-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad.
