The US Department of Defence plans to spend almost $US18 billion ($23 billion) to develop, produce and support its new interceptor to stop incoming nuclear missiles from North Korea or Iran, the first major defence procurement award of the Biden administration. Teams led by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman will receive between them as much as $US13.1 billion in the development phase of the Next Generation Interceptor, according to newly released figures.
Their competition will culminate in a winner-take-all selection process following a “critical design review” — possibly by 2026 — leading to the construction of as many as 31 new interceptors, including 10 for testing.
The interceptors are designed to crash into and destroy incoming missiles from an adversary such as North Korea or Iran. They would be installed on missiles based in Alaska. Each of the 31 interceptors is estimated to cost about $US498 million....MORE
