The development of the new intercontinental ballistic missile LGM-35A Sentinel, intended to replace the Minuteman III, has already become a striking example of the catastrophic cost overruns that even the United States cannot bear. It all started with an estimate of $77.7 billion at the end of the 2010s, and by September 2024, it was projected to cost $160 billion.
Now, a decision has been made to partially suspend work on this program and begin restructuring the ground infrastructure, particularly the launch complexes.
According to representatives of the U.S. Air Force, as reported by Defense One, Northrop Grumman has already received orders to halt the design, testing, and construction of the test launch facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and Hill Air Force Base in Utah, as well as their individual components, among others.
The publication notes that the restructuring of the program, announced in the summer of 2024, could take between 18 to 24 months. Work on the missile itself has evidently not been halted, but attention to the ground component is due to its costs being significantly higher than anticipated by the Pentagon, as they essentially simply ignored the infrastructure.
While the plan involved the creation and reconstruction of 24 launch control centers, the refurbishment of 450 launch silos, as well as about 600 other facilities and the replacement of 1,200 km of cabling. All of this raised the budget to over $160 billion.
At the same time, it seems that there was a strategy to reduce costs for this part of the work that Northrop Grumman was supposed to perform. Because just last year, the idea was proposed to save money by transferring some construction tasks to other contractors through competitive bidding.
Ultimately, the Pentagon currently has no other options but to continue the development of the LGM-35A Sentinel program, as the Minuteman III's resources are already being exhausted and there is no room for its modernization. This is not surprising for a missile that was commissioned in 1970.
However, at this rate, the LGM-35A Sentinel is increasingly distancing itself from the planned rollout in 2029. Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force intended to procure 634 missiles and an additional 25 for testing, with an expected service life of over 45 years.