The US Air Force awarded a contract of $ 13.3 billion to Northrop Grumman Corporation to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile to replace the Minuteman III series.

"Northrop Grumman was chosen by the US Air Force to modernize the country's aging intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system. The $ 13.3 billion contract will focus on the technical development phase and

The US Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center said the new ICBM development program will last about eight and a half years, including design, testing, testing, evaluation and licensing.

After completing the technical development and production phase, Northrop Grumman will begin to build the complete missile and hand it over to the US Air Force with the goal of the GBSD system reaching preliminary combat readiness capacity by 2029.

This project will replace all 450 Minuteman III ballistic missiles, one of the three pillars of US nuclear deterrent and has been in service since the 1970s.

The GBSD rocket will consist of three-stage propulsion and placed in a solidly underground launch tube, using the inertial astronomical navigation system and satellite navigation.