Northrop Grumman Corporation is developing the Modified Ballistic Re-Entry Vehicle-11 (MBRV-11) supporting the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Integrated Master Test Plan (IMTP) to test the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI). Through a close partnership with MDA, Northrop Grumman significantly expedited the development timeline for MBRV-11, moving from contract award through Critical Design Review (CDR) in less than 16 months.

Northrop Grumman and MDA completed CDR in October and conducted a combined System Requirements Review (SRR) and Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the first time to accelerate development.  

To meet the aggressive development schedule, Northrop Grumman procured all hardware needed to produce the target vehicles began qualification testing before CDR, and began system-level avionics testing immediately after.

Robin Heard, director, targets, Northrop Grumman: “Through executing with speed and building for the future, MBRV-11 is a paradigm shift in the way we partner with MDA to develop new programs. Our deep mission experience enabled us to compress the development timeline by combining the SRR and PDR, begin qualification testing ahead of CDR, and quickly transition into production to meet the customer’s need for an early operational capability.”

Northrop Grumman’s MBRV-11 is a new front-end that consists of a baseline vehicle design, with four optional enhancement kits that represent varying capabilities to provide mission flexibility. MBRV-11 will be integrated into Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) targets to emulate sophisticated missile threats the NGI is designed to defeat. The contract includes five vehicles to support five missile defense test demonstrations, with the first flight test scheduled in 2027. Northrop Grumman’s flight-proven hardware and software designs, common system architectures, and heritage avionics support the aggressive development and production schedule. MDA recently awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to upgrade its IRBM and ICBM target vehicles and integrate with MBRV-11, making the company the end-to-end provider for the targets, including payload and boost vehicles. The program supports MDA’s IMTP that includes ground tests, flight tests warfighter training, and combatant command exercise events.

Northrop Grumman is a leading provider of threat-representative target vehicles used in the test and verification of the nation’s missile defense systems. By combining an industry-leading portfolio of advanced avionics, adaptable vehicle enhancement kits, and advanced payloads with technology expertise in solid rocket motors, Northrop Grumman rapidly configures target vehicles to replicate sophisticated adversary threats. The company has provided IRBM and ICBM target vehicles since 2011, delivering 25 vehicles and supporting 10 successful missile defense demonstrations.

Click here to  know more about Northrop Grumman's Latest Space Technologies