America’s next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile moved another step closer to defending the nation when Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) and the U.S. Air Force fully assembled the Sentinel missile in its operational orientation. The vertical assembly demonstrates the design and integration of the missile and is a major step toward the Sentinel missile’s design and suitability evaluation for flight test in 2027.

Sentinel is making progress toward fielding, a key part of the nation’s strategic deterrence.

  • In partnership with the U.S. Air Force, Northrop Grumman engineers have completed the safe stacking of the Sentinel missile. This proves all missile stages, propulsion elements, the shroud, and associated components have been fully integrated into a single missile configuration.
  • This milestone stacking operation is a critical step to demonstrate that every process and requirement for safely assembling the complete Sentinel missile is executable on the test pad. It validates that the team is ready to move forward to a live flight test.
  • Every step – from specialized transport and mobile crane operations to full interface verification – proved the readiness to perform this complex vertical integration process.
  • In parallel, Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force’s 719th Test Squadron completed the first flight test Critical Design Review, confirming the missile’s design maturity and hardware testing meet Air Force requirements for performance, safety, and schedule for flight test in 2027.
  • As part of a rigorous four-month test event, Northrop Grumman safely transported missile components from across the country to Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB), where the inert missile was safely stacked and de-stacked on a test pad.
  • Together, these achievements demonstrate that Sentinel is moving from design into a tangible, fully integrated system that is closer to standing alert in an operational silo.