Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill AFB, Utah, has opted to pursue options No. 1 and 3 in the Propulsion System Rocket Engine Life Extension Program, awarding Northrop Grumman nearly $15.1 million on the ICBM Prime Integration contract, which USAF expects to extend Minuteman III readiness through 2020. The work includes refurbishing 96 propulsion system rocket engines and should be completed by October 2008.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.