Northrop Grumman achieves land-based ICBM manufacturing milestone
15th Nov 2021 | In News | By Michael Tyrrell
Northrop Grumman has achieved a key manufacturing milestone for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) first-stage solid rocket motor, the company has announced.
The company has performed the first insulation and case wind of the first-stage solid rocket motor of the GBSD programme, a next generation intercontinental ballistic missile system developed for the US Air Force.
“Working closely with the Air Force and nationwide team of industry partners, we continue to make progress to modernize the country’s aging intercontinental ballistic missile system,” said Steve Lunny, vice president, GBSD programme at Northrop Grumman. “This manufacturing milestone further demonstrates the maturity of our first-stage solid rocket motor design, manufacturing process, tooling and business systems.”
Northrop Grumman performed the insulation wind around a plaster tooling mandrel. The insulation protects the outer casing of the motor from extreme temperatures caused by burning propellant inside the motor.
Following insulation is the case wind process, which applies composite material around the insulation to form the outer structure, or shell, of the motor.
Northrop Grumman has begun a similar insulation and case wind process for the second-stage motor, as the programme team continues on track to the USAF GBSD schedule.
This first-stage motor will now undergo testing to validate tooling and manufacturing processes as well as pressure-testing to ensure structural design integrity.
The new GBSD missile will be a three stage solid rocket motor. Northrop Grumman is building the first and second stage.
Northrop Grumman was awarded the GBSD engineering and manufacturing development contract in September 2020 to begin modernising the nation’s aging intercontinental ballistic missile system, the land-based leg of the US nuclear triad.
The defence giant is leading a nationwide team that includes Aerojet Rocketdyne, Bechtel, CAE, Clark, Collins Aerospace, General Dynamics, HDT, Honeywell, Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, Lockheed Martin, and Textron Systems, as well as hundreds of SMEs across the defence, engineering and construction industries.
GBSD will involve over 10,000 people in the US directly working on the national security programme.
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