Overview
- Construction on a full-scale launch-silo prototype for the LGM‑35A Sentinel began at Promontory, Utah, on February 13, 2026, with Northrop Grumman leading infrastructure work alongside Bechtel.
- The prototype will validate a standardized, modular construction method geared to faster fielding and easier upkeep before crews move into operational missile fields.
- A second prototyping effort at F.E. Warren Air Force Base this summer will trial utility-corridor techniques to lay thousands of miles of secure power and fiber more efficiently.
- The restructured program builds new silos instead of refurbishing 60‑year‑old Minuteman III sites to keep missile alert coverage intact during the handover.
- Program leaders target a Milestone B decision and revised cost estimate by late 2026, a first pad launch in 2027, and initial capability in the early 2030s, with supporting infrastructure spanning 24 launch centers, three wing command centers, about 32,000 square miles, and roughly 5,000 miles of fiber.