MDA awards Other Transactional Agreements for Glide Phase Interceptor prototype design

The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on 19 November announced the award of Other Transactional (OT) Agreements to Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon Missiles and Defense for the completion of an accelerated concept of a prototype sea-launched Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI), in support of the MDA's regional hypersonic missile defence programme.

The OT Agreements – valued, respectively, at USD20.94 million, USD18.96 million, and USD20.97 million – were solicited through the MDA Sea-Based Weapon Systems, Program Executive Office Special Topic Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Enhanced Hypersonic Defense/Glide Phase Interceptor, and provide for a GPI prototype that can be integrated with the US Navy's Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.

“We are pleased to have these contractors working with us to develop design concepts for the GPI,” said USN Rear Admiral Tom Druggan, MDA's Sea-based Weapon Systems programme executive. “Multiple awards allow us to execute a risk-reduction phase to explore industry concepts and maximise the benefits of a competitive environment to demonstrate the most effective and reliable Glide Phase Interceptor for regional hypersonic defence, as soon as possible.”

“[GPI] interceptors will be fired from US Navy (USN) Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense destroyers using the standard Vertical Launch System (VLS) and will also be integrated with the modified Baseline 9 Aegis Weapon System, which is designed to detect, track, control, and engage hypersonic threats in the glide phase of the missile's flight,” the MDA said in a release on 19 November.

“The GPI concept fits into the MDA's missile defence architecture to provide the warfighter and its allies with reliable layered defence against regional hypersonic missile threats from rogue nations,” the MDA release added.