Boeing [BA] submitted its next Generation Interceptor (NGI) offer to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on Wednesday, the company said.
Boeing previously served as the prime contractor on the canceled Redesigned Kill Vehicle (RKV) program that NGI replaces. Raytheon Technologies [RTX] served as the subcontractor that actually developed the RKV.
RKV aimed to replace and improve the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System’s Ground Based Interceptor kill vehicles while NGI will replace both the kill vehicle and the rocket booster lifting it to the edge of space. The GMD missile defense system is based in Fort Greely, Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
RKV was canceled in 2019 due to significant technical concerns that led to increased cost and before MDA redirected attention to NGI (Defense Daily, Aug. 21).
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released last month said MDA and contractors were warned multiple times about risks and issues with RKV (Defense Daily, July 23).
Boeing first confirmed it would participate in the NGI competition in March after former Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin said he expected four companies would submit bids for NGI, including a prior contractor (Defense Daily, March 11).
In the company’s announcement of submitting its bid, Boeing said their design “leverages the company’s more than 60-year track record and expertise in strategic missile and weapon systems.”
“Building upon our prior investments and proven technologies, our innovative proposal offers a creative, compelling and game-changing technical approach to outpace, out-innovate, deter and defeat rapidly evolving advanced threats,” Norm Tew, Boeing Missile and Weapon Systems vice president and general manager, said in a statement.
The company boasted if selected it will combine its capabilities with a “best-of-industry team” to ensure the offering is delivered on time.
“Boeing is well-positioned to deliver innovative solutions that greatly expand this key missile defense capability, ever focused on supporting the warfighter. We are leveraging our unparalleled mission knowledge to design, develop and deliver a low-risk, highly-effective solution for the MDA,” Tew added.
In May, Boeing’s former partner, Raytheon, announced its new partnership with Northrop Grumman [NOC] as a joint NGI competitor (Defense Daily, May 8).
Last week, Lockheed Martin [LMT] announced it also put in a bid to compete for the NGI program while highlighting it was looking at lessons learned from RKV, including part survivability testing and early and often testing (Defense Daily, Aug. 4).
MDA released the NGI Request for Proposals in April and intends to award two contractors for simultaneous NGI development before later settling on a final provider (Defense Daily, April 24).
MDA director Vice Adm. Jon Hill previously said the agency aims to maintain the two winners through the critical design period before moving to one design.
The agency expects the total cost of designing, developing, and fielding the planned 20 NGIs will be over $11 billion. Testing is expected to start in 2025-26 and interceptors and set to start being placed in silos as soon as 2027-28.
The RFP notice said it was calling for proposals to be in by July 31, but noted as DoD guidance changes “adjustments for COVID-19 may occur based on Real World Events.”