ICBM test launch. Photo courtesy Air Force
Falls Church-based Fortune 500 defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. announced Tuesday it underwent the first major design review — a key baseline — for the Air Force’s $85 billion Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) contract.
In September 2020, Northrop Grumman announced the Air Force had awarded it the first $13.3 billion phase of the expected $85 billion contract, under which the company will perform weapon system design, qualification, test and evaluation and nuclear certification to replace and modernize the country’s current Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) nuclear weapon system.
On Tuesday, Northrop Grumman announced it had “successfully conducted” the first design review for the engineering and manufacturing (EMD) baseline in November 2020. The EMD assesses the technical baseline of the project, including user requirements, program data and configuration elements. The EMD event lasted three days and was held virtually for more than 100 people from Northrop Grumman and the Air Force.
