An artist’s concept of the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM.
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New ICBM Has ‘Critical’ Cost and Schedule Overruns, Needs SecDef Certification to Continue
The new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program being developed by the Air Force and Northrop Grumman will cost 37 percent more than expected and take at least two years longer than previous projections before achieving initial operational capability—compelling the service to extend the life of some of its Minuteman ICBMs, senior service and Northrop officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Just before close of business Jan. 18, the Air Force sent Congress notification of a Nunn-McCurdy breach on the Sentinel program. The Nunn-McCurdy Act requires the Pentagon to inform lawmakers if a program incurs a cost or schedule overrun of more than 15 percent. Any breach over 15 percent is considered “significant,” while a breach of 30 percent is considered “critical.”
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Update #1: US Minuteman III missile replacement breaks $96 billion budget, triggers Pentagon review (Reuters)
Update #2: US Test Fires $100B ICBM; Top Official Says Its Struggles Have Made Him ‘More Nervous’ Than B-21 Raider (Eurasian Times)
WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. These costs overruns are just starting.