USAF Awards Contract to Develop Next Generation Penetrator Prototypes

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a contract to Applied Research Associates (ARA) to develop the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP), a successor to the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), used notably in a strike on Iran's nuclear sites. The NGP is designed to weigh up to 22,000 pounds, making it smaller and potentially deployable on more platforms, including the B-2 and the smaller B-21 bombers, which have payload limitations. ARA is partnering exclusively with Boeing, which developed the MOP, to design and integrate the NGP tail kit and produce both subscale and full-scale prototype warheads within an accelerated 18-to-24-month timeframe. The Air Force's requirements include high accuracy, multiple effects such as blast and fragmentation, and navigation capabilities resilient to GPS denial. Budget documents indicate planned spending of over $190 million through fiscal years 2025 and 2026 for the NGP development, reflecting the program's priority in addressing hard and deeply buried targets critical to U.S. national security. This new effort follows the successful operational use of the MOP, underscoring the ongoing modernization of bunker-buster capabilities.