Northrop Grumman is building the Sentinel, the new U.S. ICBM and is the prime contractor for Minuteman III sustainment. Northrop Grumman also produces propulsion systems for the Trident II missiles.
Nuclear weapons
Northrop Grumman has sustained and modernized U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile systems for more than 65 years.[i] Under a $13.4 billion nine-year contract awarded in 2020, Northrop Grumman is building the new intercontinental ballistic missile system for the U.S., the LGM-35A Sentinel.[ii] While the Sentinel programme was initially estimated to cost $95.3 billion, its estimated costs rose dramatically to $140.9 billion in 2024, an 81% increase, resulting in a severe breach of the Nunn-McCurdy act.[iii] The Pentagon nevertheless agreed to proceed with the Sentinel program.[iv] In May 2025, the U.S. Air Force said that the Sentinel program is likely to require the construction of hundreds of new missile silos, pushing costs even higher.[v]
Northrop Grumman is also the prime contractor for sustaining Minuteman III (the current U.S. ICBM) propulsion, software and ground subsystems (hardware and system modifications for ground and airborne launch control systems, launch facilities and associated infrastructure) support.[vi] These contracts, some of which running until 2039, have a combined potential value of at least $1 billion.[vii]
Northrop Grumman subsidiary ATK Launch Systems was awarded a $86.4 million contract in 2018 for procurement of motor and component test, evaluation, engineering support, and disposal for all stages of Minuteman and Peacekeeper systems, which will run through 2026.[viii]
ATK Launch Systems is also part of the Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), LLC joint venture that manages and operates the Y-12 National Security Complex, where U.S. nuclear weapons are assembled.[ix] The Y-12 Complex has been responsible for remanufacturing components for the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb[x] and the manufacture of components for the W88 nuclear warhead alteration (deployed on the Trident II D5 missile)[xi], the W80 life extension program (for use in the U.S. Long Range Standoff Weapon)[xii] and the W87 warhead modification (to be fielded on the new U.S. ICBM)[xiii]. The contract held by CNS is potentially valued at $53.5 billion.[xiv]
Northrop Grumman also produces propulsion systems for the Trident II (D5) missiles.[xv] Northrop has several outstanding contracts for work on the Trident missiles in support of the U.S. and UK nuclear arsenals, with a combined potential value of at least $1 billion.[xvi]
Under an additional $493 million contract, awarded in 2022, Northrop Grumman will perform shipyard field operations, program management, systems engineering, documentation, logistics and missile launcher production activities in support of the Columbia and Dreadnought Fleet Ballistic Missile Program.[xvii]
[i] ICBM: Over 65 Years of Technical Leadership (no date) | Northrop Grumman. Available at: ICBM: Over 65 Years of Technical Leadership | Northrop Grumman (Accessed: 16 October 2025).
[ii] CONTRACT to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | USAspending, 8 September 2020. Available at: CONTRACT to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORP | USAspending (Accessed: 7 April 2026);
Contracts for September 8, 2020 (2020) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 16 October 2025); Sentinel – The Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (no date) | Northrop Grumman. Available at: Sentinel – The Ground Based Strategic Deterrent | Northrop Grumman (Accessed: 16 October 2025).
[iii] Stephen Losey, ‘Pentagon keeps commitment to Sentinel nuclear missile as costs balloon’, DefenseNews, 8 July 2024. Available at: Pentagon keeps commitment to Sentinel nuclear missile as costs balloon.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Michael Marrow, ‘Air Force now expects Sentinel ICBMs will ‘predominantly’ need new silos’, Breaking Defense, 5 May 2025. Available at: Air Force now expects Sentinel ICBMs will 'predominantly' need new silos - Breaking Defense.
[vi] Propulsion Systems (no date) | Northrop Grumman. Available at: Propulsion Systems | Northrop Grumman (Accessed: 16 October 2025); Ground Subsystems Support Contract (GSSC) (no date) | Northrop Grumman. Available at: Ground Subsystems Support Contract | Northrop Grumman (Accessed: 16 October 2025).
[vii] IDV to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | USAspending, 4 May 2021. Available at: https://usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_FA821421D0001_9700 (Accessed: 16 October 2025); Contracts for April 20, 2021 (2021) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/2579547// (Accessed: 16 October 2025); IDV to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | USAspending, 15 July 2021. Available at: https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_FA821421D0002_9700 (Accessed: 16 October 2025); Contracts for July 7, 2021 (2021) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/2684977// (Accessed: 16 October 2025); CONTRACT to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | USAspending, 1 September 2025. Available at: CONTRACT to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 16 October 2025);
Contracts for September 26, 2025 (20215) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of War > Contract | U.S. Department of War (Accessed: 16 October 2025)
[viii] CONTRACT to ATK LAUNCH SYSTEMS INC.| USAspending, 6 September 2018. Available at: IDV to ATK LAUNCH SYSTEMS LLC | USAspending (Accessed: 16 October 2025); Contracts for September 6, 2018 (2018) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/1622674// (Accessed: 16 October 2025).
[ix] About (no date) | Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC. Available at: https://cns-llc.us/about (Accessed: 16 October 2025);
‘Fiscal Year 2024 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan’, National Nuclear Security Administration (2023), pp. F-61 – F-64. Available at: FY24SSMP_FINAL_NOVEMBER_2023_0.pdf (energy.gov).
[x] ‘B61-12 Life Extension Program’ (2023). National Nuclear Security Administration. Available at: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/B61-12%20042023.pdf.
[xi] W88 Alteration 370 Program’ (2023). National Nuclear Security Administration. Available at: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/W88-ALT370_1123.pdf.
[xii] ‘W80-4 Life Extension Program’ (2023). National Nuclear Security Administration. Available at: W80-4_1123.pdf.
[xiii] ‘W87-1 Modification Program’ (2023). National Nuclear Security Administration. Available at: W87-1_1123.pdf.
[xiv] Contract No. DE-NA0001942 (2018) Energy.gov. Section J, Appendix A, Page 1. Available at: https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/downloads/contract-no-de-na0001942 (Accessed: 16 October 2025); CONTRACT to CONSOLIDATED NUCLEAR SECURITY LLC. | USAspending’, 8 January 2013. Available at: https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_DENA0001942_8900_-NONE-_-NONE- (Accessed: 7 April 2026).
[xv] Propulsion Systems (no date) | Northrop Grumman. Available at: https://www.northropgrumman.com/space/propulsion-systems (Accessed: 16 October 2025).
[xvi] CONTRACT to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION| USAspending, 10 November 2015. Available at: CONTRACT to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 7 April 2026); Contracts for November 10, 2015 (2015) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 7 April 2026); CONTRACT NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION| USAspending, 12 March 2019. Available at: CONTRACT to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 7 April 2026); Contracts for March 12, 2019 (2019) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 16 October 2025); CONTRACT NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION| USAspending, 1 October 2024. Available at: CONTRACT to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 7 April 2026);
Contracts for November 19, 2024 (2024) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: Contracts For Nov. 19, 2024 > U.S. Department of War > Contract | U.S. Department of War (Accessed: 7 April 2026).
[xvii] CONTRACT NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION| USAspending, 17 June 2022. Available at: CONTRACT to NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION | USAspending (Accessed: 16 October 2025);
Contracts for June 17, 2022 (2022) U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: > U.S. Department of Defense > Contract (Accessed: 16 October 2025).
Last updated: 2026-06-08 16:55:37