The Pentagon has narrowed the competition for development of a Glide Phase Interceptor, selecting Raytheon Technologies and Northrop Grumman to continue refining concepts for a counter-hypersonic missile in a move that sidelines Lockheed Martin from the contest and sets up high-level review of the two remaining designs in early 2023.
On June 24, the Missile Defense Agency announced its preference for two potential designs for a next-generation Aegis guided missile, the latest step in a project launched nearly four years ago when the agency awarded nearly two dozen contracts for technology proposals for how best to defeat a hypersonic glide vehicle.
MDA exercises modification of existing contracts with Raytheon and Northrop valued at approximately $41.5 million each; this funding will support work through February 2023 and culminate with a System Requirements Review of each candidate’s GPI prototype.
"Today's awards are an important step toward increasing the capacity of our Missile Defense System and providing a new capability to the Warfighter," MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill said in a statement. "GPI will play an important role in our regional hypersonic defense, and our acquisition strategy is ensuring that the department maximizes innovation to keep pace with rapidly advancing threats."
Technically, Lockheed Martin is not eliminated from the GPI program, MDA spokesman Mark Wright told Inside Defense, noting that under Other Transaction Authority rules, MDA retains the option “to pull Lockheed Martin back in later if required.”
Last November, MDA awarded Lockheed Martin and Raytheon $20 million contracts each and Northrop Grumman $18.5 million to complete accelerated GPI concept designs. The objective of the GPI program to create a new Aegis guided missile optimized to defeat a new class of ultra-fast, maneuvering weapons and give the Navy a second layer of defense against hypersonic threats beyond the Standard Missile-6.
As recently as last month Hill suggested the possibility that MDA could carry all three companies to the next phase of the program.
Today’s source selection is earlier than expected; in May, Hill said this decision on GPI design proposals would come “at the end of the summer.”