The Department of the Air Force has officially named its Ground Based Strategic Deterrent intercontinental ballistic missile system the LGM-35A Sentinel.
The Sentinel is set to replace the Minuteman III ICBM system as the ground-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad and will have a modular architecture to facilitate the integration of emerging technologies in response to evolving threat environment, the Air Force said Tuesday.
The service said the GBSD weapon system, which is being developed by Northrop Grumman under a contract awarded in September 2020, will reinforce the country’s integrated deterrence and will be a fully integrated platform with command and control capabilities.
“The name Sentinel recognizes the mindset that thousands of Airmen, past and present, have brought to the deterrence mission, and will serve as a reminder for those who operate, secure, and maintain this system in the future about the discipline and responsibility their duty entails,” said Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a three-time Wash100 Award winner. Kendall approved the designation for the new ICBM system.
The LGM-35A Sentinel will be housed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, Minot AFB in North Dakota and at Malmstrom AFB in Montana.
