18 November 2020: The Missile Defence Agency successfully intercepted a Northrop Grumman Corporation built Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) target that was launched during a flight test from the Reagan Test Site in the Kwajalein Atoll.
FTM-44 satisfies a Congressional mandate to demonstrate that the MDA can use the Navy’s Aegis Combat System equipped with the Standard Missile 3 Block IIA (SM-3 IIA) to intercept intercontinental threats.
“As the ICBM target prime contractor for the Missile Defence Agency, we understand how critical it is to launch a realistic threat target to ensure our nation’s defence systems work when called upon,” said Scott Lehr, vice president and general manager, launch and missile defence systems, Northrop Grumman. “With this successful test, the MDA has successfully demonstrated critical capabilities for the defence of our country utilizing many of Northrop Grumman’s missile defence capabilities.”
Northrop Grumman is also the prime contractor on the Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) target, which is air-launched from a C-17 aircraft to provide the MDA with flexibility in mission engagement scenarios. To date, the company has supported three ICBM target launches and five IRBM target launches with 18 more on contract for future test missions with the MDA. Northrop Grumman also offers additional short, medium and long-range targets to meet evolving threats.
