MDA selects two teams for Next Generation Interceptor development

Teams led by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman each received contracts on 23 March from the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to design the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI).

Lockheed Martin is partnered by Aerojet, while Northrop Grumman is teamed with Raytheon.

The contract for both teams, including flight test options for the new long-range missile defence system, will be completed by 2029.

The aim is to protect the US against intercontinental ballistic missile threats in the 2030s.

Neither Northrop Grumman nor Raytheon disclosed the value of their NGI development contract, although the DoD on 23 March announced it is worth $3.93 million. Lockheed Martin disclosed that its deal is valued at $3.7 billion.

In May 2020, the DoD launched a competition for NGI, in search of a new guided missile and warhead as an improvement on the existing Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system in the US.

Incumbent GMD contractor Boeing has not been selected for NGI. Raytheon and Aerojet manufactured the kill vehicle for GMD, while Lockheed Martin stated that it will apply its experience on THAAD and the USN Trident programme to NGI.

This article was amended on 24 March with the contract value for Northrop Grumman.

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