Missile defense

Boeing to Upgrade U.S. Missile Defense System

The U.S. Department of Defense is hiring Boeing to expand and improve its Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) anti-ballistic missile system—which has undergone a significant redesign.The system detects and tracks the boost and midcourse phases of enemy missiles and launches a counter missile that intercepts and destroys the incoming intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Boeing boasts that its GMD technology is the only operational system capable of protecting the entire United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, from an ICBM attack.The contract is part of a larger deal with the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA): In January, Boeing was awarded a $6.56 billion contract to upgrade the GMD system, bringing the total value of the contract to $10.8 billion. Northrop Grumman and its Innovation Systems arm—formerly Orbital ATK—as well as Raytheon are subcontractors on the project. Boeing has been developing the system for the U.S. government since 2001.