More information is emerging after the Tuesday evening announcement that Northrop Grumman Corporation was named as the prime contractor under a $13.3 billion award from the United States Air Force.
As reported by Yellowhammer News, the contract is for the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program, which would eventually replace the existing Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system.
The Minuteman III, built by Boeing and managed by the company out of Huntsville, represents the land-based prong of the United States’ nuclear triad.
Northrop Grumman has already advised that its work on the GBSD program will primarily occur at two locations in Utah, including one recently built to serve as the hub of the company’s GBSD work. However, the company added that work will also be conducted on the program at Northrop Grumman operations in two Alabama cities: Montgomery and Huntsville.
Now, one of the major subcontractors on the Northrop Grumman GBSD team has also announced Alabama will play a part in their work on the program.
Aerojet Rocketdyne in a release outlined that key GBSD work will be conducted at the company’s 136,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Facility (AMF) in Huntsville.
Since opening last summer, the facility’s workforce has quickly grown 300%, now boasting almost 140 personnel.
According to the company, Aerojet Rocketdyne expects to further add approximately 100 jobs at the Rocket City AMF due to the GBSD program. The company explained that the AMF will produce advanced propulsion products such as solid rocket motor cases for the program, as well as continuing the production of other hardware for key American defense and space programs.
Overall, Aerojet Rocketdyne will develop a large solid rocket motor and the post-boost propulsion system for the GBSD, including work at its facilities in Camden, Arkansas, and Canoga Park, California.
This continues Aerojet Rocketdyne’s legacy of providing propulsion for all previously fielded U.S. Air Force ICBMs, including the Minuteman III.
“Aerojet Rocketdyne has a proud legacy of powering our nation’s strategic deterrent, and we look forward to building upon that legacy as part of Northrop Grumman’s nationwide GBSD team,” stated Eileen P. Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president. “Our investments in state-of-the-art facilities and innovative technologies enable us to deliver advanced propulsion systems with improved performance at lower costs.”
Since 2015, Aerojet Rocketdyne has sourced more than $81 million dollars to Yellowhammer State suppliers. The company currently partners with more than 70 Alabama businesses. Aerojet Rocketdyne officially established its Defense Headquarters in Huntsville in 2016.
Additional Northrop Grumman GBSD team members include Bechtel, Clark Construction, Collins Aerospace, General Dynamics, HDT Global, Honeywell, Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, L3 Harris, Lockheed Martin, Textron Systems, as well as hundreds of small and medium-sized companies from across the defense, engineering and construction industries.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
