Northrop Grumman has broken ground on a new facility in Roy, Utah, to expand work on the US Air Force’s Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile that will replace Washington’s aging Minuteman III nuclear weapons.
The new Legacy Building increases the firm’s existing Roy Innovation Center to six buildings spanning more than 1.1 million square feet (102,193 square meters).
In addition to the Sentinel initiative, the location will also assist with other aerospace and defense projects upon completion.
Following its activation, the hub is expected to create hundreds of “high-quality” jobs while supporting the Sentinel program’s goal of achieving initial operational capability by the end of the decade.
That move will add to more than 11,000 Northrop Grumman employees based in Utah and approximately 5,000 personnel nationwide currently working on Sentinel.
Construction begins this summer and is scheduled for completion in 2028.
Bolstering ‘National Security and Local Prosperity’
Northrop noted that the advancement on its Utah site builds on the company’s $13.5-billion investment in infrastructure and research and development over the past five years, including $2 billion to amplify solid rocket motor manufacturing for the Sentinel program as well as other strategic deterrence and space launch efforts.
“Utah’s world-class talent pool, strategic location to Hill Air Force Base and supportive community make it the ideal home for this expansion of Sentinel and other critical missions,” said Ben Davies, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Defense Systems.
He added that the project “reinforces our investment in national security and local prosperity” while supporting multiple defense missions for decades.
