Northrop Grumman receives $3.3B missile defense contract

Falls Church-based Northrop Grumman Corp. has received a contract worth nearly $3.3 billion from the Missile Defense Agency to help defend the homeland from ballistic missile threats.

The Fortune 500 aerospace and defense contractor will design, develop and sustain new capabilities for the next Ground-based Midcourse Defense Weapons Systems program, according to a news release. The contractor will update the ground system component of the program using digital transformation processes to update and modernize legacy code, warfighter capabilities and incorporate the Next Generation Inceptor fleet into the overall system.

The system is comprised of 44 ground-based interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

“As the GWS prime contractor, we will continue to work closely with MDA to optimize and develop modern missile defense systems to defend against evolving threats and provide advanced capabilities for the warfighter,” Scott Lehr, Northrop Grumman’s vice president and general manager for launch and missile defense systems, said in a statement. “GWS is part of Northrop Grumman’s land- and sea-based missile defense systems that are enabled by our advanced missile warning and tracking space satellites. Together, we are delivering end-to-end capabilities that will protect the United States and its allies.”

The Pentagon announced the award Friday. Work will be completed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an ordering period through July 29, 2027.