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Nuclear Modernization

Shifting Military Requirements Changed Design of New ICBM Pit; First Unit Delayed

Wednesday, February 15th, 2023

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Shifting Military Requirements Changed Design of New ICBM Pit; First Unit Delayed

The Air Force test launches a Minuteman III ICBM. Photo: Air Force.

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) changed the design for the nuclear core of a planned intercontinental ballistic missile warhead late last year, a senior agency official said Tuesday. Altering the design of the W87-1 plutonium pit, being developed by the agency’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California for the Air Force’s planned Sentinel missile, will delay the first copy of the crucial weapon component by about a year, said Marvin Adams, deputy administrator for defense programs at NNSA. “The…

HASC Wants Pentagon List Of Critical F-35 Technical Data Rights And Estimate Of Cost To Buy Them For Repairs

The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) wants the Pentagon to inform the committee of critical technical data rights for the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35 fighter and how much it would […]

Space

NRO Nominee: “We Have To Look Differently At Our Requirements”

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has said that it has launched more than 200 proliferated low Earth orbit satellites in the last two years to supplement the costly high-end systems […]

Congress

Congress Needed Pentagon’s Iran Supplemental Request ‘Yesterday,’ HASC’s Wittman Says

A senior member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) said Wednesday that Congress needed the Pentagon’s Iran supplemental funding request “yesterday,” noting the ongoing lack of details from the […]

Space

Space Force Eyes Nearly $1.5 Billion for Space Data Network Backbone in Future Reconciliation Bill

The U.S. Space Force (USSF) plans to request nearly $1.5 billion for the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone in a future fiscal 2027 reconciliation bill. Last week, Space Force’s Space […]