Air Force assembles inert Sentinel missile as flight tests near

The LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program has completed vertical stacking of an inert missile at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, a key integration milestone that program leaders say positions the effort for initial flight testing in 2027.

“This is more than a milestone, this integration demonstrates our commitment to moving forward with the pace necessary to modernize the ground-based leg of our nuclear triad and deliver critical capability to the warfighter,” said Gen. Dale White, director of Critical Major Weapon Systems for the Department of War.

The stacking capped a four-month test campaign that validated the ability to assemble all missile stages, propulsion elements, the shroud and other subcomponents into a single configuration on the test pad. The operation also exercised critical portions of the weapon system’s lifecycle, confirming that handling procedures and personnel are prepared to execute complex field assembly.

“Executing this test campaign proved that our logistics pipeline and test operations work in complete lockstep,” said Maj. Gen. William S. Rogers, the Air Force’s portfolio acquisition executive for intercontinental ballistic missiles. “From cross-country transport and specialized crane lifts to precision interface checks on the pad, bringing all of these elements together validated our technical baselines and proved Sentinel is ready to support the next phase of development.”

In parallel, the Air Force Test Center’s 719th Test Squadron completed the first flight test Design Review, determining that design maturity and hardware testing meet stringent requirements for performance, safety and mission assurance ahead of the planned 2027 flight tests.

Taken together, the developments move the program from reliance on digital models to a fully integrated physical system. “Sentinel is no longer conceptual or designs for what the nation’s next-generation ICBM looks like; it’s a physical, fully integrated system that is one major step closer to being ready for flight testing,” said White. “While this is a significant achievement, we will keep driving, firmly focused on delivering a modernized, credible strategic deterrent that will safeguard the nation and its allies well into the future.”

Program officials say the Sentinel remains on schedule to achieve an initial fielded capability in the early 2030s, with the aim of sustaining a safe, secure and credible ground-based deterrent for decades.