The Air Force launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., early Feb. 19, marking its first test of the year.
The Air Force is suspending work on a significant part of its new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program, ordering a pause on the design and construction of launch facilities being developed by Northrop Grumman.
Northrop Grumman has received a second B-21 bomber low-rate initial production contract from the Air Force, with which it has discussed accelerating production, the company said.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall doesn’t see great value in trying to break the Sentinel ICBM program off as a separate budget item the way the Navy has with its ballistic-missile submarine program, saying such a move wouldn’t create any new money for the Air ...
The Air Force on Sept. 18 warned that a failure to pass a new budget for the federal government for part or all of fiscal 2025 could degrade military readiness and slow the arrival of critical equipment as Congress ticks toward a shutdown in less ...
The Pentagon certified the Air Force’s Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program to continue despite 81 percent cost growth after a six-month review determined there are no other acceptable alternatives. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante announced the decision, but did not say ...
The Senate Armed Service Committee's mark of the 2025 defense policy bill includes 17 programmatic changes or demands for reports or assessments focused on strengthening the nation’s nuclear arsenal, as deterrence becomes a multipolar competition requiring new thinking.
The House Appropriations Committee’s mark of the 2025 defense bill would strip $324 million from the Air Force's budget request for the Sentinel ICBM. The committee also wants longer tenure for program leaders and an evaluation of making at least some of the force road-mobile.
Airmen and Guardians test launched another Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile on June 6, marking the second ICBM test from Vandenberg Space Force base in three days after a June 4 launch. The unarmed ICBM, equipped with one re-entry vehicle, was launched at 1:46 a.m. ...
No matter what happens with the Nunn-McCurdy review of the Sentinel ICBM program, the nation must have a land-based element of its nuclear triad, Pentagon acquisition and sustainment chief William LaPlante told the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee.
While the Pentagon is halfway through its review of the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program in the wake of “critical” cost and schedule overruns, the service has declared a similar issue for the helicopters meant to provide security and transport across those ...
The Air Force is looking at a variety of potential offsets to cover the $35 billion overrun on the Sentinel ICBM, but senior service officials hope the offsets can be found from outside the service's regular budget.