If Huntsville had at any time in the past 75 years, shied away from very complex programs and solutions, rife with a lot of moving parts requiring a massive effort from a team of brilliant scientists to accomplish – well, we would all still be picking watercress and a gigantic boll of cotton would mark the city limits on I-565.

But instead, Huntsville has faced down the challenges of many almost superhuman feats.

Historic missile development – Check.

Ensuring survival on the International Space Station – Check.

Development of fused Integrated Battle Command Systems (IBCS) for the U.S. Army – Check.

Building the next generation of Artemis space explorers – Check.

So, when Northrop Grumman began implementing a strategy to recruit talent needed to execute their $13.3 billion development contract for the entire Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program, Huntsville was one of the five “spoke” locations to be considered.

GBSD is indeed massive. It is part of the Air Force’s complete recapitalization and replacement of the ground leg of the Nuclear Triad, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).

shutterstock image 1 3 “GBSD is a mega program, very complex, that takes a massive effort from every imaginable aerospace defense company you can think of on our industry team – working not pieces of the program, but all of it,” said Greg Manuel, sector vice president and general manager of Space Systems Strategic Deterrent Systems at Northrop Grumman. “And we have to do it on time.”

GBSD is replacing the Boeing LGM-30 Minuteman III ICBM, an Air Force project that has been here in Huntsville for a long time, but has not been often talked about.

“The U.S. Army has the defensive interceptor side, and the Air Force has the offensive ICBM weapons system side that provides deterrence for our adversaries,” Manuel said. “It is all about deterrence, even though it is used silently every day, 24/7/365.”

He explains that if and when adversaries decide to launch a missile in the continental US, Alaska or Hawaii, the Army’s mission is to defend us by using their Ground-Based Midcourse Defense interceptor to intercept adversarial ICBMs.

“But the offensive leg and deterrent leg have to work hand in glove,” he said. “The Air Force’s deterrent consists of our ground-based ICBMs, which is the largest piece of the Triad. It also includes Bombers and the Navy’s submarine-launched ballistic missiles, so everybody has a piece of the Nuclear Triad.”

Being a deterrent, the intent is that GBSD missiles never, ever be launched, although they are always on alert, he explains. The penalty any adversary will have to pay is very high, and hopefully one they will not be willing to pay.

Looking to hire 500 employees as prime on the contract, Northrop Grumman was looking for a rich, existing talent pool where they could more easily recruit into bridge areas; where their employees could grow within the company professionally; and where they could raise a family and attend an excellent school system.

Northrop Grumman is already supporting a broad range of business in Huntsville including the Missile Defense Agency and several key supporting resources in Cummings Research Park and on Redstone Arsenal.

Manuel explains how massive an undertaking like GBSD is.

“GBSD is a complete recapitalization and replacement of the entire weapons system, all Command and Control (C2) systems, and the entire infrastructure including all 450 launch facilities, training, and maintaining of maintenance devices that assures us a message from the President gets to the crew and all facilities,” Manuel said. “The re-modernization consists of replacing 150 launch sites in three missile complexes located at FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming; Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana; and Minot Air Force Base in Minot, North Dakota.

“It will take a couple of decades to complete, but we are 13 months into an 8.5-year deployment program for development with completion expected in 2036.”

He said long lead production starts in 2024, and the rate protection program that includes building all missiles and components of the missiles, along with rebuilding all 450 launch facilities, starts in 2026.

Technicians work on an aged Minuteman III

Minuteman III stays in place as new GBSD go up. For every Minuteman taken down, a new GBSD goes up, so the U.S. always has 450 missiles on alert.

“The schedule is aggressive, and we are on a quick schedule, but we are hitting our milestones,” Manuel continued. “We see no reason why our first test launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California won’t take place during fourth quarter 2023.”

Manuel said their test program, with a test program missile, ground equipment, and C2 must be tested before they start on the actual missile. That will run from fourth quarter 2023 through mid-2025.

By 2036 all three missile complexes will be complete.

Northrop Grumman started the contract here in Huntsville in September 2020 but only recently officially opened their completely renovated two-building campus at 110 Wynn Drive to house GBSD, a missile production facility, and a software factory.

Located in one of the oldest buildings in the oldest section of Cummings Research Park, Northrop Grumman gutted the original building from the foundation up and put it back together again, outfitting it as a state-of-the-art facility with multiple secured areas and a software factory.

“We are excited to grow our GBSD team in Alabama and leverage the dynamic aerospace talent in the Rocket City to support this critical strategic deterrent capability for our country and allies,” said Manuel. “Huntsville’s rich expertise and legacy in Command-and-Control systems will help our nationwide team deliver a safe, secure and effective capability to the U.S. Air Force on time and on cost.

“We looked at other locations in Huntsville, but we decided we could work with the community to be on the frontend of the move to revitalize this part of Cumming Research Park. We look forward to continuing our strong community partnerships and delivering 21st century innovation for our customer missions.”

With a couple hundred new people already in place, Northrop Grumman is looking to hire another 250 to 300 high end jobs in all forms of engineering, cyber science, software development, business management, pricing and estimating, supply chain, software engineers, test labor, and quality and safety engineers.

Top Row, Left to Right: Chip Cherry, Huntsville-Madison County Chamber President & CEO; Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle; Greg Manuel, Vice President & General Manager, Strategic Deterrent Systems, Northrop Grumman. Bottom row, Left to Right: Lucia Cape, Chamber Senior VP of Economic Development, Industry Relations, and Workforce; Erin Koshut, Executive Director, Cummings Research Park; Brad Duvall, GBSD Site Lead, Northrop Grumman.

“I’m thrilled that Northrop Grumman will be building on its already large presence in Huntsville while also advancing a strategic national defense priority,” said Alabama Governor, Kay Ivey. “By selecting Alabama’s ‘Rocket City,’ Northrop Grumman has picked the ideal location to carry out this important national security mission, and the company’s growth plans represent welcome news for Huntsville and for all of the state.”

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said Northrop Grumman is a valued partner in Huntsville’s preeminent role in the defense of our nation and armed forces across the globe.

“They are another great example of our community’s ability to deliver great expertise in aerospace, rockets, propulsion and defense,” said Mayor Battle.

In addition to GBSD, key programs in Huntsville include the Missile Defense Agency’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) and the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) programs, the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), as well as hardware integration and test support for NASA missions.

Northrop Grumman also supports numerous STEM organizations including Alabama School for Cyber Technology and Engineering, U.S Space and Rocket Center, CyberPatriot, and Madison County Schools WiFi Business Program.

For more information about joining the Northrop Grumman GBSD program team, visit www.northropgrumman.com/jobs.