The US Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Corp. a $153 M contract to continue full rate production of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Guidance Replacement Program (GRP). This program is a key modernization effort that will upgrade the guidance-system electronics in the Minuteman III ICBM to extend the missile’s service life through 2020. This is the sixth of eight production awards from the Air Force ICBM System Program Office at Hill Air Force Base, UT. The overall GRP program is valued at $1.6 B over the eight production awards and is expected to be completed by 2009. “The guidance replacement effort has been an extremely successful program,” said John Clay, vice president and general manager, ICBM Prime Integration Contract, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. “We are on schedule with approximately 250 missiles left to equip with the upgrades. The exceptional performance of our guidance system is a tribute to the continued dedication and hard work of our team.” Northrop Grumman’s GRP teammate, Boeing Electronic Systems Missile Defense, produces the missile guidance sets for the program under subcontract to Northrop Grumman. Honeywell Space Systems Division is a major subcontractor to Boeing and provides the system’s computer.