Military
Air Force Projects Initial Sentinel ICBM Delivery by Early 2030 Following Management Overhaul
The U.S. Air Force now expects to field the first Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile by early 2030, crediting a new Pentagon-controlled program manager role with helping accelerate the troubled timeline. The Sentinel program replaces the aging Minuteman III system that has been in service since the 1970s.
Key Takeaways
- The Air Force projects the first Sentinel ICBM will be ready for deployment by early 2030
- A new Pentagon-controlled program manager role is credited with helping accelerate the previously troubled timeline
- The program replaces the Minuteman III system, in service since the 1970s, across 400 silos at three Air Force bases
- Sentinel triggered a Nunn-McCurdy cost breach in 2024 but was recertified as essential to national security
- Delays increase reliance on aging Minuteman III infrastructure as Russia and China modernize their own nuclear arsenals
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DT Editorial AI··via defenseone.com