INorthrop Grumman Corporation ibingoyena mntu uthengisayo izolo kwikhontrakthi enkulu yasemkhosini yeedola ezingama-85 eebhiliyoni, emva koko iBoeing ibhengeze ukuba ayiyi kuthatha inxaxheba kwiprogram yePentagon yokubuyisela i-Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
"I-Boeing idanile asikwazanga ukuhambisa isicelo," utshilo u-Elizabeth Silva, isithethi senkampani kwingxelo. "I-Boeing iyaqhubeka nokuxhasa utshintsho kwisicwangciso-qhinga sokufumana izinto eziza kuzisa eyona mveliso iphambili kweli lizwe kwaye ibonise ixabiso lomhlawuli werhafu waseMelika."
Umkhosi womoya wase-US uthe ngenene ufumene isicelo esinye, ugxininisa ukuba uza kuqhubeka "ngothethathethwano olunobundlongondlongo nolusebenzayo lomthombo," ngokutsho kweBloomberg, ecaphula isithethi soMkhosi woMoya uCara Bousie.
Isibhengezo sika-Boeing asizange sothuse, njengoko ngoJulayi isigebenga se-aerospace sabonisa ukuba sinokurhoxa kukhuphiswano lwekhontrakthi ngenxa yokungabikho “kwebala lokudlala elilinganayo lokhuphiswano olufanelekileyo,” kunye nokusilela koMkhosi woMoya ukulungisa iqhinga lawo lokufumana izinto. Inkampani yabonisa ukuba imbangi yaseVirginia esekwe eNorthrop ifumene umenzi wemoto oqinileyo we-Orbital ATK, ngoku eyaziwa ngokuba yiNorthrop Grumman Innovation Systems, eyinike inzuzo ecacileyo.
I-Orbital ATK ngomnye wabavelisi ababini base-US bee-rocket motors ezifunekayo ukunika amandla i-ICBM, kuquka iMinuteman III. Ngeli xesha, omnye umvelisi, i-Aerojet Rocketdyne, ukwakwiqela leNorthrop lababoneleli.
U-Boeing naye wayefuna ukufaka isicelo kwi-bid kunye ne-Northrop, kodwa lo mva wasikhaba eso siphakamiso kwaye akazange aquke imbangi yakhe kuluhlu lweekontraka eziphantsi kwayo zenkqubo yeGround Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD).
Inkqubo yomjukujelwa iMinuteman III, eyaqala ukusebenza ngeminyaka yoo-1970, yenye yeentsilelo zetriad yokuthintela yenyukliya yase-US. I-US ngoku iphucula izixhobo zayo zenyukliya, kwaye kulindeleke ukuba ibize ngaphezulu kwe-1.2 yeetriliyoni zeedola kumashumi amathathu eminyaka azayo.
