Northrop to Develop New Target Vehicle to Support Next Generation Interceptor Testing

Northrop Grumman is developing a new target vehicle to support the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Integrated Master Test Plan (IMTP) and the testing of the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI).

While Northrop Grumman is not directly involved in the development of the NGI, the company has been cleared to build a mock target designed to replicate sophisticated missile threats that the NGI is intended to counter.

The company has worked closely with MDA to accelerate the target vehicle’s development timeline. In less than 16 months from contract award to the Critical Design Review (CDR), Northrop Grumman completed a combined System Requirements Review (SRR) and Preliminary Design Review (PDR), a first for this type of project. This collaborative effort has enabled rapid procurement of necessary hardware for the production of the target vehicles, which will begin qualification testing before the CDR and continue with system-level avionics testing.

The new target vehicle will be integrated onto Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) targets, which are used to simulate missile threats. Northrop Grumman is producing five vehicles as part of the contract to support five missile defense test demonstrations, with the first flight test slated for 2027.

As part of the contract, Northrop Grumman will also upgrade its IRBM and ICBM target vehicles and integrate them with the new target vehicle. This makes Northrop Grumman the sole provider for these missile defense targets, including both the payload and boost vehicle. The new target vehicle is critical to the MDA’s IMTP, which involves a range of ground and flight tests, warfighter training, and combatant command exercises designed to assess and validate missile defense capabilities.

Since 2011, Northrop Grumman has delivered 25 IRBM and ICBM target vehicles, contributing to 10 missile defense demonstrations.