The Air Force’s successful November test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) confirmed Northrop Grumman’s [NOC] MK21 arming and fuzing assembly refurbishment processes were successfully implemented, the company said.
The launch was the first test of Minuteman III’s refurbished MK21 arming and fuzing assembly, according to a company statement. Northrop Grumman Vice President and Program Manager for ICBM Systems Tony Spehar said yesterday in an email this is important because the assembly provides storage of data retrieved during flight and generates the missile’s arming and fuzing events for the weapon. Spehar said because the test was successful, the refurbishment program can proceed as planned.
Spehar said one benefit of using a refurbished MK21 arming and fuzing assembly is cost: refurbishment is significantly cheaper than a new assembly, yet it only addresses some of the components and provides a modest life extension. Spehar said a new assembly would replace all components and provide significant life extension using current technology and materials.
Spehar said no matter if a new or refurbished assembly is used, performance requirements are the same.
“The benefit is cost avoidance of starting a completely new program immediately and the ability to continue the deployment of the MK21 reentry vehicle on Minuteman,” Spehar said.
Spehar said the next flight test of a Minuteman III with an MK12A assembly is scheduled for April while the next Minuteman III test with a MK21 assembly is scheduled for May. Spehar said the MK12A and MK21 are two different designs. Spehar said the MK21A assembly was designed for Minuteman III and deployed in 1979 as an update to the MK12 while the MK21 was originally designed for the Peacekeeper ICBM and retrofitted for Minuteman III after Peacekeeper’s retirement.
The Air Force successfully launched a Minuteman III with a simulated re-entry vehicle, or warhead, Nov. 14 from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., according to a service statement. The missile traveled approximately 4,800 miles in 30 minutes from Vandenberg to the Ronald Reagan Test Site in Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. The purpose of the test was to validate and verify the effectiveness, readiness and accuracy of the weapon system.