Reuters
Pentagon picks Northrop, Lockheed, Raytheon to develop hypersonic defense
The Pentagon on Friday said it selected Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to research and develop a missile system that would be able to defend the United States against a hypersonic weapons attack. The three companies were awarded separate contracts totaling about $60 million to develop a glide phase interceptor that would be guided by a constellation of satellites and sensors to intercept a hypersonic missile inside Earth’s atmosphere as it glides towards its target. The Missile Defense Agency 2022 budget earmarked $136 million for research, development, testing and evaluation for the interceptor, but the program will ultimately yield billions of dollars of revenue for defense contractors.
