By Troy Turner
HUNTSVILLE — The Missile Defense Agency awarded Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Chandler, Arizona, a contract modification that ups the value to almost $2 billion for the company’s work in providing complex missile defense target systems for the U.S. military.
The MDA’s Redstone Arsenal operation in Huntsville, Alabama, and the Department of Defense announced the $25.7 million modification on May 9, increasing the original contract’s total to $1.9 billion.
The deal calls for Northrop Grumman to “provide target systems for Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBM) and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), including the necessary execution, analysis, services and support thereof.”
The work will be performed in Arizona and Alabama.
“This modification is required for the continuation of the current contract from December 2025 to September 2026 to avoid a gap in the schedule and performance until a follow-on contract is awarded,” the DOD reported.
“Under this modification,” it said, “this period will include the completion and execution of flight tests, planning and analysis for new test object development, and integration of the IRBM/ICBM targets and integrated logistics support.”
The modification extends contract work through Sept. 30, 2026.
Testing U.S. defenses
Northrop Grumman’s Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile target is used to test the nation’s missile interceptors, including the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), and Patriot air defense system.
“IRBM targets are dropped by parachute from a C-17 transport, then ignited in the air. Because of the geographic flexibility IRBM provides, the target can be launched to and from a wide range of locations and follow a variety of trajectories to meet mission requirements,” company materials state.
Its Intercontinental Ballistic Missile target expands on the IRBM platform by adding an additional downstage SR119 motor to provide ground launch capabilities and simulate long-range ICBM threats. ICBM has multiple launch locations including Meck Island, Republic of the Marshall Islands; and Kodiak, Alaska.
“Together IRBM and ICBM provide a robust, cost-effective, target-launch platform with multiple low-cost, low-risk, front-end configurations to provide advanced mission capabilities for a wide spectrum of mission requirements,” Northrop Grumman says.
Northrop Grumman in Alabama
Northrop Grumman is a major defense contractor with operations around the globe, including a large presence in Huntsville and more than 2,000 employees in Alabama.
“Our employees based in Cummings Research Park, the second largest research park in the country, are working adjacent to the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal — home to a rapidly growing workforce of 44,000 military, civilians and contractors supporting 78 federal agencies, including the Army, the Missile Defense Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the FBI and more,” company materials report.
“Northrop Grumman employees in Huntsville are transforming the future of important U.S. Air Force programs and, in January 2021, Redstone Arsenal was selected by the Secretary of the Air Force as the preferred location for the U.S. Space Command headquarters…
“In 2020, the Northrop Grumman Foundation became a legacy donor of the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering, the nation’s only high school focused on the integration of cyber technology and engineering into all academic disciplines, under construction in Cummings Research Park.”
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be contacted at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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