Washington DC [US], July 6: The Sentinel nuclear missile project is being developed by contractor Northrop Grumman and is intended to replace the Minuteman III missile family. Both are intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
Reuters on July 6 quoted three informed sources as saying that the estimated cost of the Sentinel missile program has now increased by about $65 billion compared to the estimated level in 2020.
That could force the Pentagon to scale back the project or its official deployment timeframe, according to an industry executive.
On July 5, Bloomberg News reported an estimated $141 billion for the Sentinel missile program as the Pentagon considers adjustments related to missile development and project progress.
Northrop Grumman declined to comment on the report. The Pentagon did not comment on the reported figure, but said it would release a new estimate next week.
In a January report, the US Air Force estimated that the cost of its nuclear missile replacement program would increase by at least $131 billion.
The developments are putting pressure on other Air Force priorities, such as the next-generation NGAD fighter program, the hypersonic weapons program, the B-21 bomber and other space initiatives.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper