Boeing has delivered two Huntsville-managed ground-based interceptors to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in Fort Greely, Alaska.
Fort Greely is home to missile fields that protect the homeland against long-range ballistic threats posed by foreign adversaries. According to Boeing, the interceptors will enhance the capabilities of MDA’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system.
Jim Bryan, Boeing’s Ground-Based Interceptor director, said the aerospace and defense company “is making America’s homeland defense stronger.”
“From integration to testing and fielding, I couldn’t be prouder of everyone involved with reaching this milestone,” said Bryan in a release. “We take great pride in supporting the critical GMD mission.”
The interceptors, which underwent final assembly at California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base, were flown to Fort Greely via a Boeing C-17 Globemaster aircraft.
The latest round of deliveries are part of the GMD Service Life Extension Program, which Boeing said is crafted to enhance the current interceptors’ reliability. The program also integrates new and existing components to increase the number of interceptors.
Boeing is supporting ongoing construction in Fort Greely to upgrade the system. This includes incorporating digital engineering capabilities and supporting evolving requirements needed to ensure the system’s continued effectiveness against emerging threats.
Debbie Barnett, vice president and program director of GMD for Boeing, said the company continues “to drive the modernization and technological advancement of the GMD system in support of vital national security needs.”
“The ground-based interceptors remain the only operationally deployed missile component of GMD,” said Barnett. “These deliveries represent the culmination of efforts to expand and enhance our homeland missile defense.”
Since 1998, Boeing has served as the MDA’s lead integrator and prime contractor of the GMD system. The company designs, produces, integrates, tests and sustains all GMD components deployed across 15 time zones. The GMD system, which is the center piece of MDA’s layered ballistic missile defense architecture, holds the capability of defending all 50 states at a moment’s notice.
Presently employing 3,039 workers, Boeing is the largest aerospace company in Alabama. The industry powerhouse generates more than $2.7 billion in annual economic activity for the state.
Dylan Smith is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
