The Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a four-year, $39.7 million contract to design, develop, test, and qualify a replacement payload transporter system for the Minuteman III ICBM fleet, announced the company on Nov. 1. The existing payload transporter is nearing the end of its design life, states the company’s release. “The replacement transporter will provide an immediate improvement in security and prevent potential supportability impacts from the aging system currently in use,” said Mark Bishop, Northrop Grumman’s program manager for the payload transporter replacement. The company is the prime contractor for sustaining the Minuteman III fleet, which the Air Force expects to operate out to 2030. (See also Getting to 2030.)
Army Building Up New Space Operations Branch
Oct. 15, 2026
The Army has long been dependent on space capabilities to navigate terrain, communicate in hard-to-reach areas, and identify and strike targets. Now, the service wants to deepen its space operations expertise and is making plans to expand its own cadre of operators in the coming years.