Northrop Grumman to produce hypersonic glide phase interceptor

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) will proceed with Northrop Grumman Corp. for the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) program, the first-of-its-kind defensive countermeasure against hypersonic missile threats. Working in close partnership with MDA, the three-year developmental effort produced a purpose-built, innovative design capable of defeating existing and emerging hypersonic threats.

During this next phase of development, Northrop Grumman will:

• Continue to refine the preliminary design of the GPI, which will fire from the U.S. Navy’s Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense destroyers and Aegis Ashore using the standard Vertical Launch System
• Demonstrate system performance in hypersonic environments prior to conducting its Preliminary Design Review
• Complete flight experiments ahead of schedule leveraging the company’s own flight-proven systems
• Use digital engineering practices to connect the entire GPI program to accelerate design processes and develop interceptor capabilities faster and more efficiently

Wendy Williams, vice president and general manager, launch and missile defense systems, Northrop Grumman, said, “GPI adds mission critical standoff to warfighters in scenarios where distance creates an advantage. Tailorable to a multitude of mission requirements, Northrop Grumman’s revolutionary solution is designed to perform in the evolving threat landscape.”

Northrop Grumman’s design includes advanced technologies, such as a seeker for threat tracking and hit-to-kill accuracy, a re-ignitable upper stage engine used for threat containment and a dual engagement mode to engage threats across a wide range of altitudes.

Northrop Grumman will work closely with the United States in support of its role under the GPI Cooperative Development program with the Japan Ministry of Defense to deliver interceptors to the MDA.