Northrop Grumman has been cleared to produce the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) target vehicle for the US.
The Modified Ballistic Re-Entry Vehicle-11 (MBRV-11) will be integrated with the Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile targets representing threats NGI is designed to take out.
It took less than 16 months to achieve the milestone in partnership with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) — from the contract award to critical design review in October.
The development is in support of MDA’s Integrated Master Test Plan to test the NGI, including ground test, flight test, warfighter training, combatant command exercise events.
The $17.7 billion NGI is the replacement for the current Ground-Based Midcourse Defense weapon systems, featuring a multiple-kill vehicle interceptor to defeat more sophisticated ballistic missile threats from adversaries such as China and Russia.
The initial operational capability of the Lockheed Martin interceptor is expected by the last quarter of fiscal 2028.
Expedited Development
The expedited development timeline of the MBRV-11 was achieved with the help of the MDA, combining the system requirements review (SRR) and preliminary design review (PDR) for the first time.
“Through executing with speed and building for the future, MBRV-11 is a paradigm shift in the way we partner with MDA to develop new programs,” Director, Targets, Northrop Grumman Robin Heard said.
“Our deep mission experience enabled us to compress the development timeline by combining the SRR and PDR, begin qualification testing ahead of CDR and quickly transition into production to meet the customer’s need for an early operational capability.”
Modified Ballistic Re-Entry Vehicle-11
The MBRV-11 production contract includes five vehicles in support of five missile defense demonstrations scheduled from 2027.
Each of the vehicles features a baseline vehicle design and four optional enhancement kits to provide varying capabilities for mission flexibility.
Northrop was recently contracted by the MDA to upgrade its IRBM and ICBM targets and integrate them with the MBRV-11.
The redesigned targets completed their critical design review in September and are slated for their first flight test in late 2025.
Northrop is the end-to-end provider of the targets, including payload and boost vehicle. A total of 25 targets have been provided by the company since 2011 supporting 10 successful missile defense demonstrations.
