DENVER—Military officials have reaffirmed that the US Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled for its first test flight next year.
However, there is still uncertainty surrounding the timeline for the completion of hundreds of new missile silos across the Great Plains, the total cost of the project, and the number of nuclear warheads each Sentinel missile will carry. The LGM-35A Sentinel is set to replace the longstanding Minuteman III fleet, operational since 1970, with the first new missiles expected to be ready in the early 2030s. Despite this, the complete set of Sentinel missiles and their 450 reinforced underground silos will take much longer to construct and activate.
During the development of this new ICBM, defense officials are exploring various options for the missile’s payload. Until February 5, the New START nuclear arms control treaty, established between the US and Russia in 2010, prevented the Air Force from equipping ballistic missiles with Multiple Independently targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs). Since the treaty expired three weeks ago, there is now potential for each Sentinel missile to carry multiple warheads, rather than just one.
Senior US military officials updated reporters on the Sentinel program at the Air and Space Forces Association’s annual Warfare Symposium near Denver, presenting plenty of information to consider.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
This graphic from Northrop Grumman displays the main components of the Sentinel missile, providing a detailed view of its structure.
Into the breach
Two years ago, the Air Force revealed that the budget for the Sentinel program had surged from $77.7 billion to nearly $141 billion. This increase followed a “Nunn-McCurdy breach,” named after the legislation requiring reviews of defense programs that greatly exceed their budgets. In 2024, the Pentagon concluded that the Sentinel program was crucial for national security, thereby preventing its cancellation.