The program will replace aging solid-rocket motor sets, for stages 1, 2, and 3, in the Minuteman III missile arsenal with remanufactured motors to maintain alert-readiness status through 2020.

Today's award represents the fifth of seven full-rate production options under the nine-year PRP contract. Options six and seven are expected to be exercised annually by the Air Force through Fiscal Year 2008. These final three options would total $626 million. The PRP contract began in 1999, and is valued at $1.9 billion over the ten-year period.

PRP is one of eight large modification programs currently managed by Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems sector, prime integration contractor for the program. The company assists the Air Force in activities required to sustain the United States' ICBM arsenal.

"The Northrop Grumman PRP team worked aggressively with the Air Force and ATK to ensure this remaining piece of the restructure was implemented on schedule," said John Clay, vice president and general manager of the ICBM Prime Integration Contract for Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. "We are now fully positioned to move forward with the remaining PRP program options to deliver this important reliability upgrade to the Air Force on cost and schedule."

ATK is producing all three stages at full rate and expects to deliver all production motors by August 2009. The remanufacturing of the motors includes replacing the aging propellant in the motors and replacing obsolete or environmentally unsafe materials and components. Minuteman stage 1 motors are manufactured by ATK at their facility in Promontory, Utah and stage 2 and 3 motors are manufactured at the ATK Bacchus facility in Magna, Utah, with components provided by the ATK Promontory and Clearfield, Utah facilities.

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Northrop Grumman Mission Systems