Northrop Grumman announced it has been awarded a $13.3 billion deal by the U.S. Air Force to upgrade the country's aging Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile system.
Northrop officials on Tuesday disclosed that the contract aims to modernize the 1970s-era ICBMs by late this year. The defense contractor was the program's only bidder after Boeing Co. opted out for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) deal in 2019.
Under the agreement, the Virginia-based defense contracting group said the project will cover eight years of modernization works in Utah and multiple other missile sites, including Arizona, Nebraska, Alabama, California, Maryland, and Colorado. Northrup Grumman has a February 2029 timetable to complete the upgrade.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper lauded the Air Force's latest initiative, saying upgrading the country's nuclear capabilities is a top priority and crucial to its security.
Gen. Tim Ray, commander of the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command (GSC), agreed with Esper. Ray said the improved accuracy, increased range and effectiveness of the Minuteman III will give the U.S. a wide host of options to deal with unforeseen eventualities.
But not everyone is on the same page. Detractors call the modernization program dangerous and a waste of taxpayers' money. Democrat U.S. presidential wannabe Joe Biden has not said whether he would back the program if he wins in the coming elections.
On Twitter, former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry said the government is shelling out $13 billion on new nuclear missiles that the country does not need, while a global pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Americans. "It's 2020 – not 1959," Perry said.
Other critics said the costly program is propelled more by "political inertia" than a military requirement.
Officially known as Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), The initiative has bipartisan support in the Senate and House of Representatives. The Minuteman III ICBM has been a very important aspect of American nuclear power for almost 50 years.
