US Navy Awards Northrop Grumman $43.9M to Design Trident II D5 Rocket Motor Facilities in Utah

The U.S. Navy awarded Northrop Grumman a $43.9 million firm-fixed-price contract to design dry-and-grind facilities and equipment for Trident II D5 rocket-motor production at the government-owned plant in Magna, Utah. The planned infrastructure concerns preparation of solid-propellant ingredients before rocket-motor casting and supports the existing submarine-launched ballistic missile enterprise. Design work is due by August 31, 2028, with the full contract value funded from fiscal 2026 Navy weapons procurement appropriations. The award does not authorize construction or specify future production throughput, while development of the D5 Life Extension 2 missile continues toward a planned 2039 introduction.