Lockheed Martin is rapidly demonstrating technologies with a focus on the homeland missile defense mission, to ensure our customers can counter a rapidly evolving threat environment.

In this changing world, it is increasingly important to modernize the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System (GMD) capability. The MDA’s Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) is the future of that system to protect the homeland against intercontinental ballistic missile threats from rogue nations.

And Lockheed Martin’s NGI solution is based on proven technology with advancements designed with the warfighter in mind.
 

Lockheed Martin is enabling mission-driven transformation by implementing a model-based enterprise and maintaining a digital thread from design all the way through production and sustainment.

“We are driving long-term affordability and weapon system sustainability by applying cutting-edge digital transformation, software factory, model-based engineering, and cyber security approaches,” said Sarah Reeves, vice president of NGI at Lockheed Martin.

Digital tools empower Lockheed Martin to solve problems and develop solutions more quickly and efficiently. The NGI team is leveraging companywide investments in digital engineering and advanced production to use data as a strategic asset.
 

Lockheed Martin continues construction on new facilities to take U.S. homeland missile defense into the next decade with NGI.

The new NGI Missile System Integration Lab (MSIL), a $16.5 million Lockheed Martin investment, demonstrates the company’s commitment to the defense of our nation, to the warfighter, and to our customers. When complete, this 25,000-square-foot facility will support development, testing, and system integration including the all-up round (AUR) and communications system, along with ground testing activities.

The MSIL concept is born from Lockheed Martin’s proven heritage of system integration, test, and field support for integrated missile defense systems.

“We know our customers need sophisticated solutions designed with the mission in mind,” said Reeves. “Just as NGI has been digital from day one, we intend to continue our digital program execution as we move into integration of the All Up Round with this new lab serving as a lynchpin for demonstration and testing.”

This new facility represents additional capability for Lockheed Martin Space in Alabama.  It will synch with our 65,000-square-foot, proven missile production facility in Courtland and Pike County Operations in Troy, Alabama, accelerating lessons learned and enabling collaboration and rapid troubleshooting as the program progresses.
 

No other defense company has Lockheed Martin’s depth and breadth of experience. That includes production of integrated, sophisticated missiles and systems designed for our customers’ needs today, and for the future. The company recently delivered the 700^th combat-proven Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) –at Pike County Operations, another critical milestone in support of our customers.

“Lockheed Martin’s technology is embedded in every facet of the missile defense architecture,” said Reeves. “We’re planning for, and building, NGI facilities to meet our customers’ needs for production today and in the future.”

The company pioneered Hit-to-Kill technology and led development of multiple kill vehicle interceptor architectures for more than two decades. This experience is fueling the NGI team to mature a design that can increase warfighter capability and provide an improved defensive battlespace.

At Lockheed Martin, we understand our customers’ challenges and are developing advanced capabilities and platforms to help deter, defend, and defeat advanced threats in increasingly contested environments. Across our corporation and through our 21st Century Security vision, we are combining digital engineering, Agile practices and open architectures to rapidly deliver new technologies, increase affordability and optimize sustainment.
 

Lockheed Martin has defined software of the future with our Software Factory as the centerpiece. The company’s Software Factory capability allows us to accelerate our code capabilities to support our customers’ vital missions.

We recently achieved the first official software release for NGI, marking the first flight software delivery to the customer for the program.

“We will continue to produce code for the future of the program,” said Reeves, “laying the path toward critical flight testing.”

The software was developed through the NGI Software Factory to enable speed, retire risk, and enable iteration to add additional capability.

"The digital thread, together with our Software Factory, enables us to validate our modeled system performance early and continually refine and improve the capability we deliver,” said Reeves.
 

Lockheed Martin is bringing together expertise across departments to deliver value and quality our customers can count on at the speed of innovation so they can stay ahead of ready.  The company’s NGI solution will help revolutionize homeland missile defense with a digital approach, combined with significant investment in the Huntsville community and decades of proven corporate experience and expertise in missile intercept technology and defense systems, including space-hardened and strategic missile systems.
 

The views expressed here are the views of Lockheed Martin and do not imply endorsement by
the Missile Defense Agency.