U.S. Minuteman III Missile Replacement at Least 37% Over Budget
January 19th, 2024Parts of the U.S. look like they have been nuked already.
Via: Reuters:
The replacement for the ground-based U.S. nuclear arsenal anchored by the Minuteman III has officially busted through its $95.8 billion budget due to the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, the Air Force said on Thursday.
The Air Force is notifying Congress that the program, being designed and managed by Northrop Grumman Corp, opens new tab, is now at least 37% over a pre-pandemic cost estimate finalized in September 2020, Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, told Reuters in an interview.
Program changes, such as making bigger silos and switching to more durable materials, have also raised costs.
The total program cost, now estimated above $131 billion, could grow further as the U.S. Secretary of Defense concludes a review by the summer.
While cost overruns regularly occur at the Department of Defense, the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is especially expensive to replace.
