ICBM killer passes two key tests ahead of design review, Lockheed says

The rocket motor built by L3Harris Technologies for Lockheed Martin's Next Generation Interceptor undergoes a static test-firing. L3Harris Technologies

The company’s Next Generation Interceptor had an 18-month delay for motor problems.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.— Lockheed Martin’s new ICBM killer, ordered two years ago to supersede the oft-troubled GMD interceptor, hit two major milestones this week and is expected to clear the design phase later this year, company officials said.

The company said last week that its L3Harris Technologies L3Harris Technologies, or NGI, had completed a critical burst test of its second-stage motor case. On Monday, ahead of the Space and Missile Defense Symposium here, Lockheed Martin announced that they had successfully fired its stage 2 rocket motor in a static test. Company officials said NGI, ordered under the Biden administration to replace the nation’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System, should clear the critical design review , or CDR, phase by the end of this year.

“These milestones are major steps toward our path to CDR, confirming our utmost confidence that NGI will meet the demanding performance envelope on track for fielding by 2030,” Christopher Jewell, Lockheed Martin’s NGI vice president, told reporters on Monday evening.

In 2024, the Missile Defense Agency awarded Lockheed Martin an $18 billion contract to design and build the Next Generation Interceptor. This April , MDA director Gen. Heath Collins told lawmakers the program fell behind schedule by 18 months due to several technical problems, but that it still remained on track to pass the design review in 2026.

“We are, as we transition into manufacturing, identifying and finding some issues with some of these new systems -- the solid rocket motor, the inertia measurement movement, as well as some in the sensors,” Collins said during an April 30 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “And we are working to buy down those risks and move forward as quickly as possible to make sure we pull the day as far to the left as possible.

The Government Accountability Office’s 2026 weapons system assessment did not include information on the Next Generation Interceptor “due to the lack of long-term cost and schedule baselines, which we could use to measure progress.”

NGI is slated to be part of the Trump administration's sprawling Golden Dome defense system.

This week’s Space and Missile Defense Symposium will likely see more discussion of Golden Dome than last year’s conference, when officials were ordered not to talk about it amid a general crackdown on public discussion by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. On Tuesday, Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Golden Dome director, is scheduled to update attendees on the program’s progress.

Collins told lawmakers in April that he, Guetlein, and U.S. Northern Command leader Gen. Gregory Guillot frequently discuss the role that NGI will play in the military’s defense strategy.

“Gen. Guillot, Gen. Guetlein, and I are regularly talking about Next-Gen Interceptor and the important part it plays in the layered defense of our homeland,” Collins told lawmakers.

NEXT STORY: Officials hedge SpaceX aircraft-tracking satellite bet with three smaller company contracts

由L3Harris Technologies公司为洛克希德·马丁公司下一代拦截机制造的火箭发动机正在进行静态点火测试。

该公司新一代拦截器因电机问题而延期18个月。

阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔——洛克希德·马丁公司官员表示，该公司两年前订购的新型洲际弹道导弹拦截器旨在取代经常出现问题的陆基中段拦截器，本周取得了两个重大里程碑，预计将于今年晚些时候完成设计阶段。

该公司上周表示，其子公司L3Harris Technologies（简称NGI）已完成二级发动机壳体的关键点火试验。周一，在太空与导弹防御研讨会召开前夕，洛克希德·马丁公司宣布，其二级火箭发动机已成功完成静态点火试验。公司官员表示，NGI是根据拜登政府的指示研发的，旨在取代美国的陆基中段防御系统，预计将于今年年底前通过关键设计评审（CDR）阶段。

“这些里程碑是我们迈向CDR的重要一步，证实了我们对NGI的十足信心，相信NGI将满足苛刻的性能要求，并有望在2030年投入使用，”洛克希德·马丁公司NGI副总裁克里斯托弗·朱厄尔周一晚间告诉记者。

2024年，导弹防御局授予洛克希德·马丁公司一份价值180亿美元的合同，用于设计和建造下一代拦截器。今年4月，导弹防御局局长希思·柯林斯将军告诉国会议员，由于一些技术问题，该项目进度落后了18个月，但仍有望在2026年通过设计评审。

科林斯在4月30日参议院军事委员会的听证会上说：“在我们向制造阶段过渡的过程中，我们发现了一些新系统存在的问题——固体火箭发动机、惯性测量装置以及一些传感器。” “我们正在努力降低这些风险，并尽快推进，以确保我们尽可能地将时间推向未来。”

美国政府问责局 (GAO) 2026 年武器系统评估报告没有包含有关下一代拦截器的信息，“因为缺乏长期成本和进度基线，我们无法用这些基线来衡量进展”。

NGI计划成为特朗普政府庞大的“金顶”防御系统的一部分。

本周的太空与导弹防御研讨会可能会比去年更多地讨论“金穹顶”项目。去年，由于国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯全面限制公众讨论，官员们被命令不得谈论该项目。周二，“金穹顶”项目主任迈克尔·盖特莱因将军将向与会者介绍该项目的最新进展。

科林斯在四月份告诉立法者，他和盖特莱因以及美国北方司令部司令格雷戈里·吉洛将军经常讨论NGI将在军队的国防战略中发挥的作用。

科林斯告诉议员们：“吉洛将军、盖特莱因将军和我经常谈论下一代拦截器以及它在我国国土多层防御中发挥的重要作用。”

下一篇报道：官员们通过与三家规模较小的公司签订合同，对冲SpaceX飞机跟踪卫星项目的风险。