The Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program has completed vertical stacking of an inert missile, a major milestone ahead of its planned 2027 initial flight test, the Air Force announced.
The stacking, which took place at an undisclosed location, involved assembling the missile’s stages vertically for the first time, validating the design and ground handling procedures. The Air Force said the milestone clears the way for the first flight test of the LGM-35A Sentinel, scheduled for 2027, as part of the service’s nuclear modernization effort.
The Sentinel program, managed by the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, is intended to replace the aging Minuteman III ICBM fleet.
The vertical stacking of the inert missile is a key step before the first test flight, which will use a live missile. The Air Force said the test will validate the missile’s performance and support the program’s transition to production.
“This is a significant achievement for the Sentinel team and a critical step toward delivering this capability to the warfighter,” said a program official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Sources: Air Force Times · DVIDS News