Defense giant Northrop Grumman won a $508 million contract to build aerial “target dummies” for the Missile Defense Agency’s two newest anti-ballistic missile interceptors.

The US military is investing in its ballistic missile defense capabilities as threats from around the world increase.

President Donald Trump has already announced his plan to create a “Golden Dome” across the United States, protecting the American mainland from aerial attack. As part of that broader effort, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded Northrop Grumman more than $500 million for long-range ballistic missile targets to bolster the US military’s air defense capabilities.  

Why the Pentagon Wants Ballistic Missile Target Dummies  

The MDA awarded Northrop Grumman a contract totaling $508 million to provide intermediate-range and intercontinental range ballistic missile targets—intended to allow the US military to test its aerial interception capabilities.

“Under this follow-on contract, the contractor will provide flight test support for the remaining Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile/Intercontinental Ballistic Missile targets and integrated logistics support for all government furnished equipment in support of Missile Defense System testing,” the Department of Defense wrote in the contract award.  

The contract is designed to continue the supply of ballistic missile targets. During testing against the targets, the MDA assesses and validates its defense capabilities, including early warning sensors, command-and-control functions and networks, and, finally, the interceptors that actually shoot down the incoming “missiles.” Indeed, the target dummies are a useful way to test the nation’s two homeland missile defense capabilities: the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) and the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI). 

Northrop Grumman Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile targets typically deploy from Air Force C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft and ignite their engine in the air.  

Northrop Grumman will perform work on the contract in Arizona, Utah, and Maryland.  

Ballistic Missiles Are Hard to Shoot Down

Part of the Department of Defense, the MDA is responsible for developing a comprehensive air defense plan against ballistic missiles from anywhere in the world. This is no simple task. Ballistic missiles represent the cream of the crop of missiles, at least for now, as hypersonic missile technology is becoming increasingly viable.

Relatively few countries have ballistic missile capabilities. However, the countries that most concern US national security—chiefly China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea—all have ballistic missile capabilities, and most can attach nuclear warheads to their munitions. 

The US military has a wide range of air defense capabilities that can address incoming threats of various ranges and speeds. But homeland defense against a ballistic missile that could be heading for New York City or Washington, DC, with a nuclear warhead is reserved for the most advanced systems, the GMD and the future NGI. 

The GMD is the current ballistic missile defense system used by the US military. It is designed to detect, track, and intercept incoming ballistic missiles while they are still in space. That is not an easy task considering that ballistic missiles can hit speeds in the range of 15,000 miles per hour (24,000 kilometers per hour). 

The NGI is a new ballistic missile defense technology designed to address evolving threats. Under the supervision of the Missile Defense Agency, Lockheed Martin is developing the NGI ground-based capability. It will employ satellites and radar networks to identify and track incoming threats, providing the necessary target data to the ground-based interceptor, which will hit the incoming ballistic missile in space. 

About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou   

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University, an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a JD from Boston College Law School. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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