The LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program recently completed the vertical stacking of the inert missile at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., the U.S. Air Force announced.
The milestone demonstrates the missile’s design maturity and verified that all critical subsystems are on track for initial flight testing next year.
The stacking event followed a four-month test campaign that proved the viability of all propulsion elements, missile stages, shroud and subcomponents to be assembled into a single configuration on the test pad. It also verified key segments of the weapon system’s operational lifecycle are capable of executing complex field assembly.
“This is more than a milestone, this integration demonstrates our commitment to moving forward with the pace necessary to modernize the ground-based leg of our nuclear triad and deliver critical capability to the warfighter,” Gen. Dale White, Critical Major Weapon Systems director, said.
The Air Force Test Center’s 719th Test Squadron completed the first flight test design review in parallel with on-pad integration. The review confirmed the missile’s design maturity and hardware testing satisfies stringent requirements for performance, safety and mission assurance.
The stacking event and review mark the transition from digital modeling to a fully integrated system.
The Air Force anticipates the Sentinel will become field capable early next decade.