LGM-35 Sentinel

LGM-35A Sentinel
Concept rendering of the LGM-35A
TypeIntercontinental ballistic missile
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service2030 or later[1]
Used byUnited States
Production history
ManufacturerNorthrop Grumman
Specifications
WarheadW87 mod 0 thermonuclear warhead (300 kilotons of TNT (1,300 TJ))
W87 mod 1 thermonuclear warhead (475 kilotons of TNT (1,990 TJ))[2]
Detonation
mechanism
Ground-burst and/or air-burst fusing modes
EngineThree-stage solid-fuel rocket
Launch
platform
Missile silo

The LGM-35 Sentinel, also known as the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), is a future American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile system (ICBM) currently in the early stages of development.[3][4] It is slated to replace all 450 Minuteman III missiles from 2029 through 2075. The Minuteman missiles are currently stationed in North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Nebraska.[3][5]

In 2020 the Department of the Air Force awarded defense contractor Northrop Grumman a $13.3 billion sole-source contract for development of the LGM-35 after Boeing withdrew its proposal. Northrop Grumman's subcontractors on the LGM-35 include Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Bechtel, Honeywell, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Parsons, Textron, and others.[6][7][8]

On January 19, 2024, the USAF announced that the program’s costs had risen to over $125 billion—37% above the initial $95.3 billion budget—and its deployment would be delayed by two years.[1][9] A revised cost estimate released by the Department of Defense on July 8, 2024, put total program acquisition costs for the Sentinel program at $140.9 billion.[10]

The United States Air Force plans to procure 634 Sentinel missiles, plus an additional 25 missiles to support development and testing, to enable the deployment of 400 missiles. According to the Air Force, the program also includes modernizing “450 silos and more than 600 facilities across almost 40,000 square miles”.[11]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference delayafmag24 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference DoEFact was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Eaves, Elisabeth (8 February 2021). "Why is America getting a new $100 billion nuclear weapon?". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Air Force's new intercontinental ballistic missile system has a name: Sentinel". Air Force. 5 April 2022. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  5. ^ Johnson, Benji (10 November 2020). "Ground Based Strategic Deterrent". Congressional Research Service. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  6. ^ Kaplan, Fred (10 March 2021). "It's Time for Biden to Stand Up to Tom Cotton and the Congressional Missile Caucus". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Ground Based Strategic Deterrent". Bechtel Corporate. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Northrop Grumman selects subcontractors for new ICBM missile system". UPI. 16 September 2019. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference delayjanes24 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Department of Defense Announces Results of Sentinel Nunn-McCurdy Review". United States Department of Defense. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  11. ^ Defense Primer: LGM-35A Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile