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Northrop Grumman has unveiled their plan to build a new 60,000 square foot Hypersonics Center of Excellence at the company’s facility at Elkton, Maryland, this week.
The new Hypersonics Center of Excellence aims to support Northrop Grumman’s production of hypersonic weapons throughout the whole lifecycle of the weapons system, including the design and ideation phases right through to the weapon’s manufacturing.
The new facility will also allow the company to identify best practices that will continue to push the bounds of hypersonic weapons technology.
Rebecca Torzone, vice president, missile products, Northrop Grumman, outlined that the centre will improve the company’s ability to provide cutting edge weapons technology at even faster rates than before.
“Hypersonic weapons protect our warfighters by offering higher speeds, longer ranges, optimal performance and the ability to combat a threat with as much distance in between them and the threat as possible,” Torzone said.
“Our new hypersonics production facility will optimise our development efficiency, drive affordability, and ultimately deliver weapons to our warfighters faster.”
In order to achieve these process and technological improvements, the new facility is equipped with updated X-ray technology and autonomous systems that hope to ensure the improved inspection and production of the missiles.
The construction phase of the Hypersonic Center of Excellence is expected to be finalised by 2023.
The new centre comes following the announcement that the US Air Force extended Northrop Grumman’s contract to provide contractor support as part of the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Ground Subsystems Support Contractor (GSSC) program.
The program has a ceiling of US$3.86 billion over 18 years.
Greg Manuel, sector vice president and general manager, strategic deterrent systems division at Northrop Grumman, outlined that the company’s innovations helped create a stronger US Air Force.
“Northrop Grumman brings proven performance, a highly skilled team of experts, and a continued commitment to ensuring Minuteman III weapon system operational readiness for the US Air Force,” Manuel said.
“Our team is using the latest in digital engineering and innovation to keep today’s system reliable, safe and secure while positioning the Air Force for a smooth transition to the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) system over the next couple decades.”
[Related: Northrop Grumman to continue US Air Force ICBM GSSC role]
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