Defence Notes

Northrop Grumman builds Hypersonic Center of Excellence

13th July 2021 - 18:59 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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The Elkton facility, which will support full lifecycle production for hypersonic weapons. (Image: Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman has broken ground on a new engineering facility at Elkton, Maryland.

Northrop Grumman has begun the construction of a Hypersonic Center of Excellence to support the US military and its allies from evolving threats.

Northrop Grumman will provide full lifecycle production for hypersonic weapons, from design and development to production and integration.

The new 60,000 sq ft facility will feature state-of-the-art production technology and will implement digital engineering best practices that will result in increased agility and the ability to rapidly respond to changes in technology or customer mission needs.

There are plans to automate case preparation and non-destructive inspection technology, such as X-Rays, and deploy autonomous guided vehicles to improve safety and reliability.

Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed by 2023.

Rebecca Torzone, vice president, missile products, Northrop Grumman, said ‘Hypersonic weapons protect our warfighters by offering higher speeds, longer ranges, optimal performance and the ability to combat a threat with as much distance in between them as possible’.