US Air Force completes vertical assembly of first Sentinel ICBM ahead of 2027 flight tests

The U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman completed the first vertical stacking of an inert LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The exercise validated equipment, procedures and ground-support interfaces needed to assemble the missile in a launch facility before the programme's planned flight-test campaign. It is a ground demonstration, not an operational deployment, and the missile contained no live propulsion or warhead configuration. The Air Force continues to target initial flight testing in 2027 as Sentinel progresses through a restructured programme intended to replace the Minuteman III force.