Northrop Grumman Completes First Launch of Digitally Redesigned ICBM Target
Northrop Grumman has successfully completed the first flight of its digitally redesigned intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) target vehicle, marking a key step in efforts to improve US missile defense testing. The updated target is designed to simulate advanced ballistic threats for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) during planned flight tests.
The maiden launch demonstrated the performance of the new design, which uses a repurposed Peacekeeper SR119 solid rocket motor supplied by the US Space Force Rocket Systems Launch Program. The redesigned vehicle met all objectives for the test event, giving defense officials a new capability for missile defense flight missions.
Northrop Grumman said the use of digital engineering tools helped improve safety across manufacturing, assembly and testing phases while reducing field execution time by about 25 percent during pre-launch pathfinder operations. These tools included a digital twin of the vehicle and virtual and augmented reality simulations that helped plan factory integration and stacking operations.
Robin Heard, Northrop Grumman’s director of targets and interceptors, said embedding digital technology throughout the redesign and integration processes streamlined field operations, enhanced safety and improved cost effectiveness.
ICBM target vehicles are used by the MDA to assess US missile defense systems, including the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense and Aegis ballistic missile defense systems. Northrop Grumman has delivered more than two dozen such targets and supported multiple successful launches since 2011. The new design’s increased range, apogee and payload capacity aim to help replicate more complex threats in future tests.
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