The troubled Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program will hit a key milestone by year’s end, with hopes to deliver the initial ICBM by the early 2030s, Pentagon and Air Force officials announced.
In 2024, the Northrop Grumman program to modernize the land-based arm of the nuclear triad went so far over budget that the Pentagon rescinded a 2020 decision to move the program into its engineering and manufacturing development phase. Program officials said in September 2025 that they hoped to re-enter that phase by mid-2027, but now say they plan to hit that milestone this year.
“Leveraging considerable progress over the last 12-18 months, program officials are executing a transformed acquisition strategy paving the way to complete the restructure and achieve a Milestone B decision by the end of 2026, while delivering an initial capability targeted for the early 2030s,” the service said in a Tuesday news release.
Air Force officials said successful ground tests, solid rocket motor qualifications, and critical design reviews are examples of much-needed progress since the program triggered a Nunn-McCurdy Act review in 2024. Additionally, service officials highlighted the new direct reporting portfolio manager role for critical major weapon systems—which includes F-47, B-21, and Sentinel—as crucial to accelerating the program. Gen. Dale White was confirmed for that position in December.
“The DRPM has the direct authority to make decisions, informed by integrated inputs across the enterprise and in alignment with the mission priorities set by the Secretary of War and the Secretary for the Air Force,” White said in the news release. “That construct allows us to resolve tradeoffs quickly and move with the speed required to deliver credible deterrence—while preserving the discipline this mission demands.”
