Go Fast, Think Big

Replicating threats to test next generation missile defense systems

By Presley Price and Trevor Clingman

Every second counts in our nation’s quest to quickly deliver mission-ready solutions designed to counter evolving threats. Northrop Grumman is answering the urgent call to rapidly develop and produce key defense systems to protect the U.S. homeland for generations to come.

Driving Agility When Seconds Count

Northrop Grumman pioneers the most advanced solutions across all domains to protect the world. From command systems to intelligent weapons, missile interceptors and the systems that test their efficacy, the company has remained a trusted partner to design, develop, verify, produce and deploy the most innovative systems possible to address current and emerging threats.

“Leveraging Northrop Grumman’s robust portfolio, agile facilities and unmatched mission expertise, we’re able to anticipate advancing global threats – and we invest in solutions early,” said Wendy Williams, vice president, launch and missile defense systems, Northrop Grumman. “That way when the nation needs us most, we’re able to rapidly develop and deliver high-performing, low-risk solutions.”

Digital technologies and agile manufacturing processes are foundational in the rapid development of highly complex, multilayered solutions. Industry-leading manufacturing techniques, including rapid prototyping, integrated and automated assembly lines and additive manufacturing bolster Northrop Grumman’s ability to drastically reduce manufacturing time and cost, while improving quality and creating low-risk delivery schedules for critical programs. And because the company has proactively invested in agile facilities that support end-to-end capabilities, it is able to shift priorities at a moment’s notice to keep pace with the everchanging threat landscape.

Our mission experience runs deep, and our capabilities are unmatched. Proven hardware and designs, the ability to build and test new technologies in-house, and our relationship with our network of suppliers are key to our ability to rapidly develop targets to exercise new missile defense capabilities.

– Robin Heard

Director of Northrop Grumman’s Targets Operating Unit

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Defining the Future of Solid Rocket Propulsion

Northrop Grumman is a leading provider of solid rocket motors that propel the nation’s can’t-fail missions. The company’s propulsion systems support many of its flagship programs, including missile interceptors, target vehicles and intercontinental ballistic missiles, and its continued innovation in propulsion drives advancements that will power the future of solid rocket motor technology.

Northrop Grumman develops, manufactures and tests a new solid rocket motor annually as part of its Solid Motor Annual Rocket Technology Demonstrator (SMART Demo) IRAD initiative. SMART Demo is designed to greatly reduce the development time of new solid rocket motors by enabling the test and demonstration of new materials, processes and suppliers to create and implement technical advancements that will define the future of solid rocket propulsion.

For the first time ever, Northrop Grumman is developing a dozen new solid rocket motors concurrently, including nine new large motors. As the company anticipates significant expansion and increasing motor production count by 2030, it is constructing 11 new buildings and modifying 16 more to support new and existing programs. The company’s continual investments in disruptive technologies, manufacturing techniques and agile facilities are accelerating technical advancements across its portfolio.

Emulating Advanced Missile Threats

Northrop Grumman plays a role at both ends of the spectrum, a leader in advanced weapons and a leader in missile defense. This unique position offers unrivaled capability depth and kill chain breadth, underpinning the ability to stay ahead of the adversarial curve.

By leveraging experience gained from franchise missile defense programs and employing cutting-edge technologies from revolutionary weapon systems, the company delivers advanced threat-representative target vehicles that are tailored to customer requirements and simulate emerging threats. These targets offer operationally realistic scenarios to test and verify the missile defense systems that are trusted to protect what matters most.

In 2023, MDA selected Northrop Grumman to develop and produce the Modified Re-Entry Vehicle-11 (MBRV-11), that will emulate the sophisticated threats the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) is designed to defeat. MBRV-11 is designed to be integrated onto Intermediate Ballistic Missile (IRBM) and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) targets and was cleared for production in January 2025. Through close partnership with MDA, Northrop Grumman significantly expedited the development timeline for MBRV-11, moving from contract award through Critical Design Review in less than 16 months.

“Our mission experience runs deep, and our capabilities are unmatched,” said Robin Heard, director of Northrop Grumman’s targets operating unit. “Proven hardware and designs, the ability to build and test new technologies in-house, and our relationship with our network of suppliers are key to our ability to rapidly develop targets to exercise new missile defense capabilities.”

As the industry leader in missile defense solutions, target vehicles and advanced weapons, no other prime integrator operates in the end-to-end missile defense kill chain like Northrop Grumman.