An artist's portrayal of the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM. (Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman has fired the second-stage solid-fuel rocket motor for the LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear missile for the first time, the company announced on 16 January.

The test was conducted inside a vacuum chamber at the US Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee, intended to simulate the high-altitude and space environments in which the motor would operate. Data from the test is to be compared against digitally simulated models, said Northrop Grumman.

The LGM-35A's first-stage motor was tested in March 2023, according to the company. That and the latest test-fire are conducted under the missile programme's engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) phase, scheduled to wrap up in 2027. The LGM-35A is scheduled to enter production in 2026 and operational service in 2029, with a planned fleet of 634 Sentinels to be produced.

US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall hinted at potential delays to the Sentinel programme during a November 2023 talk at the Center for a New American Security.

An artist's portrayal of the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM. (Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman has fired the second-stage solid-fuel rocket motor for the LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear missile for the first time, the company announced on 16 January.

The test was conducted inside a vacuum chamber at the US Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee, intended to simulate the high-altitude and space environments in which the motor would operate. Data from the test is to be compared against digitally simulated models, said Northrop Grumman.

The LGM-35A's first-stage motor was tested in March 2023, according to the company. That and the latest test-fire are conducted under the missile programme's engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) phase, scheduled to wrap up in 2027. The LGM-35A is scheduled to enter production in 2026 and operational service in 2029, with a planned fleet of 634 Sentinels to be produced.

US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall hinted at potential delays to the Sentinel programme during a November 2023 talk at the Center for a New American Security.

An artist's portrayal of the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM. (Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman has fired the second-stage solid-fuel rocket motor for the LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear missile for the first time, the company announced on 16 January.

The test was conducted inside a vacuum chamber at the US Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee, intended to simulate the high-altitude and space environments in which the motor would operate. Data from the test is to be compared against digitally simulated models, said Northrop Grumman.

The LGM-35A's first-stage motor was tested in March 2023, according to the company. That and the latest test-fire are conducted under the missile programme's engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) phase, scheduled to wrap up in 2027. The LGM-35A is scheduled to enter production in 2026 and operational service in 2029, with a planned fleet of 634 Sentinels to be produced.

US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall hinted at potential delays to the Sentinel programme during a November 2023 talk at the Center for a New American Security.

An artist's portrayal of the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM. (Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman has fired the second-stage solid-fuel rocket motor for the LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear missile for the first time, the company announced on 16 January.

The test was conducted inside a vacuum chamber at the US Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee, intended to simulate the high-altitude and space environments in which the motor would operate. Data from the test is to be compared against digitally simulated models, said Northrop Grumman.

The LGM-35A's first-stage motor was tested in March 2023, according to the company. That and the latest test-fire are conducted under the missile programme's engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) phase, scheduled to wrap up in 2027. The LGM-35A is scheduled to enter production in 2026 and operational service in 2029, with a planned fleet of 634 Sentinels to be produced.

US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall hinted at potential delays to the Sentinel programme during a November 2023 talk at the Center for a New American Security.

An artist's portrayal of the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM. (Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman has fired the second-stage solid-fuel rocket motor for the LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear missile for the first time, the company announced on 16 January.

The test was conducted inside a vacuum chamber at the US Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee, intended to simulate the high-altitude and space environments in which the motor would operate. Data from the test is to be compared against digitally simulated models, said Northrop Grumman.

The LGM-35A's first-stage motor was tested in March 2023, according to the company. That and the latest test-fire are conducted under the missile programme's engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) phase, scheduled to wrap up in 2027. The LGM-35A is scheduled to enter production in 2026 and operational service in 2029, with a planned fleet of 634 Sentinels to be produced.

US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall hinted at potential delays to the Sentinel programme during a November 2023 talk at the Center for a New American Security.

An artist's portrayal of the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM. (Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman has fired the second-stage solid-fuel rocket motor for the LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear missile for the first time, the company announced on 16 January.

The test was conducted inside a vacuum chamber at the US Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee, intended to simulate the high-altitude and space environments in which the motor would operate. Data from the test is to be compared against digitally simulated models, said Northrop Grumman.

The LGM-35A's first-stage motor was tested in March 2023, according to the company. That and the latest test-fire are conducted under the missile programme's engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) phase, scheduled to wrap up in 2027. The LGM-35A is scheduled to enter production in 2026 and operational service in 2029, with a planned fleet of 634 Sentinels to be produced.

US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall hinted at potential delays to the Sentinel programme during a November 2023 talk at the Center for a New American Security.