Lockheed Martin is currently developing the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), which aims to protect the United States from potential intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) threats. According to Sarah Reeves, the company’s vice president of NGI, efforts are underway to accelerate the program despite a setback which has resulted in a year-and-a-half delay.
The delay is potentially mitigated by a funding increase from President Trump’s homeland missile defense initiative known as Golden Dome. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) opted to shorten the competition timeline for developing NGI, selecting Lockheed Martin and its partner L3Harris’ Aerojet Rocketdyne to move forward with the project. This decision was made in April 2024, as voiced by MDA Director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, who indicated that funding decisions and project priorities influenced this downselection.
Reeves emphasized the commitment to rigorous testing and integration ensuring the interceptor delivers the necessary capabilities. She stated, “We are definitely looking at that as sort of a dual path situation, where we want to make sure that we have that schedule certainty and also that rigor that helps deliver the interceptor that America deserves.”
The most significant risk for the NGI program, as identified by Collins, is the development duration of the solid rocket motor for the interceptor. He mentioned that delays were expected, projecting an 18-month or longer delay in delivering the initial capability. In response to this risk, the MDA has initiated actions to support the development and provide additional resources to reduce the schedule risk.
The MDA’s plan indicated that the initial operational capability for NGI would not occur later than the fourth quarter of fiscal 2028. The specifics of the Golden Dome architecture remain undisclosed, with directives preventing government officials from discussing Trump’s ambitious project at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville.
Trump projected a budget of approximately $175 billion for the Golden Dome initiative, aiming for completion by the end of his term in 2028. The existing Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system features 40 silos with interceptors located in Fort Greely, Alaska, and another four at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Moreover, Boeing completed the construction of 20 additional silos at Fort Greely earlier this year, which began during Trump’s previous administration.
Plans for the Golden Dome potentially include the addition of further silos at Fort Greely, as well as proposals for establishing interceptor sites on the East Coast of the U.S. This East Coast interceptor concept has been championed by regional lawmakers for over a decade, albeit without substantial progress due to competing funding priorities.
While MDA leadership maintains that the GMD system currently offers sufficient protection against identified threats, Reeves noted the ongoing focus on completing critical design reviews for the NGI. Additionally, a missile assembly facility is under construction in Cortland, Alabama, with completion expected in early 2026. Reeves commented on the collaborative efforts since 2021, stating, “We’re really proud of the partnerships we’ve formed on this program with small and medium-sized businesses and other primes to ensure we’re bringing the necessary capability to this mission. This is foundational. It’s a Golden Dome for America.”
