Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures
Multiple countries have been deploying small arms as the last line of drone defence due to their multiple operational and tactical advantages.
USAF issues multibillion-dollar Minuteman III support contract
An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operation test. (Photo: USAF)
Northrop Grumman to provide engineering and maintenance services for ICBMs at six USAF bases.
Northrop Grumman has picked up an IDIQ contract worth up to $3.86 billion from the US Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, to continue ground subsystems support for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.
‘This contract provides for sustaining engineering, maintenance engineering, test and assessment, modification of systems and equipment, software maintenance, developmental engineering, production engineering, repair and procurement,’ the DoD announced on 7 July.
Work will be performed at six USAF bases for completion by July 2039.
Northrop Grumman announced on 10 June a $287 million baseline deal from the USAF to provide additional engineering sustainment services for Minuteman III under the Propulsion Subsystem Support Contract (PSSC) 2.0.
The work supports the USAF Minuteman III Systems Directorate at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
PSSC 2.0 has a contract ceiling of $2.31 billion plus options over a period of 18.5 years.
An eventual replacement for Minuteman called the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), also developed by Northrop Grumman, is planned to achieve IOC in 2029.
The FY2022 US DoD budget request includes $10.89 million for GBSD-related procurement and $57.79 million for ‘replacement ballistic missile equipment’.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures]()
-
![Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family]()
Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family
The Singapore-based technology company unveiled its new rifle family at this week’s airshow. Chen Chuanren spoke with the ST Engineering’s head of small arms to find out more about how the weapons have been refined.
-
![High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?]()
High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?
Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.
-
![Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack]()
Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
-
![As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues]()
As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues
The UK’s defence spending commitments remain uncertain as the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which had been due by the end of 2025, is yet to be published.
-
![How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?]()
How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?
Disruption of infrastructure in Europe, whether by cyberattack, physical damage to pipelines or uncrewed aerial vehicles flying over major airports, as has happened more recently, is on the rise. What is the most effective way of countering the aerial aspect of this not-so-open warfare?
