The U.S. Air Force said Tuesday it expects its next-generation LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear missile to reach initial capability in the early 2030s, following a revamp of the over-budget program\u2019s acquisition plan set to finish this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Northrop Grumman-made Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile is intended to replace the Cold War-era Minuteman III missiles<\/a>, which were first introduced more than 50 years ago and are well past their expected service life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Sentinel\u2019s cost, which was originally expected to be about $77.7 billion, ballooned, largely due to the rising price of constructing a vast network of missile silos and launch control centers<\/a>, spread out over thousands of miles in the Great Plains region. <\/p>\n\n\n\t