WASHINGTON \u2014 In its quest to modernize the U.S. Air Force\u2019s stockpile of intercontinental ballistic missiles, Northrop Grumman has partnered with Bechtel and Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, the company announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two companies are the latest addition to Northrop Grumman\u2019s nationwide team devoted to replace the Minuteman III with next-generation missiles, as the company announced in September its collaboration with hundreds of companies across the defense, construction and engineering industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTogether, this expanded team has the capacity, capability and credentials needed to deliver \u2013 on time \u2013 a safe, secure, reliable and effective nuclear deterrent capability for the U.S. and its allies for the next 50 years,\u201d said Greg Manuel, vice president of Northrop Grumman\u2019s Ground Based Strategic Deterrent team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bechtel, an engineering, construction and project management company, will provide construction and integration, and launch system design, according to the announcement. Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, which specializes in unmanned systems and missile defense, will provide vehicle transporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Northrop Grumman is the de facto winner of the $85 billion contract, expected to be awarded in the fourth quarter of 2020, after Boeing declined to bid on the program by the Dec. 13 deadline. Boeing claimed Northrop Grumman had an advantage to offer the lowest-cost system, thanks in part to its acquisition of one of only two U.S. solid-fuel rocket motor manufacturers. Boeing proposed, unsuccessfully, that the Air Force demand a joint team be formed between the two companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Air Force said it will proceed with \u201can aggressive and effective sole-source negotiation,\u201d according to a statement released in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Members of Congress have expressed concern over a sole-source contract. House Armed Services Committee Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., suggested the Air Force has shown bias toward Northrop Grumman and questioned the need for the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is very troubling that it\u2019s going to be a sole source contract,\u201d Smith said at an event sponsored by Ploughshares Fund in October. \u201cThe thing to do would be to address the concerns that Boeing raised about the procurement process. Because, if Boeing is to be believed, they didn\u2019t say \u2018We just can\u2019t do this anymore.\u2019 They said the process wasn\u2019t fair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In August, Northrop Grumman broke ground near Hill Air Force Base on a new facility that will serve as the headquarters for the company\u2019s workforce, which will add thousands of jobs in the state of Utah, according to the release.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The company added two companies to its team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":42667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":12,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[76,160,29,162,33,12,36,124,30],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3275],"class_list":["post-32503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-warfare-symposium","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-dailies","category-digital-show-daily","category-home","category-industry","category-newsletters","category-nuclear-arsenal","category-smr"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"6645LGZAQZH5VAFUKW5PDJ44OM","arc_canonical_url":"\/industry\/2020\/02\/25\/northrop-grumman-expands-team-for-program-to-replace-air-force-ballistic-missiles\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n