The US Air Force has awarded Applied Research Associates a 24-month contract to develop a testbed of the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP) air-to-ground weapon system.
The NGP is designed to strike hardened bunkers, tunnels, and other deeply buried targets and is intended to replace the GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which entered service in the early 2000s.
For the project, the New Mexico-based firm will design and assemble sub-scale and full-scale prototypes. It will partner with Boeing, the current prime contractor for the GBU-57/B, to provide associated support for tail kit development and integration.
The GBU-57/B, which weighs 30,000 pounds (13,608 kilograms) and carries a BLU-127/B warhead with GPS guidance, was first used operationally in June during Operation Midnight Hammer to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.
Lessons from its use are expected to inform NGP requirements, according to sources.
The Next Generation Penetrator Project
The NGP initiative reflects efforts to maintain US superiority in penetrating munitions and address increasingly hardened underground threats that pose national security challenges.
While specific NGP capabilities are limited, a 2024 US Air Force request for information indicated the service seeks a warhead under 22,000 pounds (9,979 kilograms) with blast, fragmentation, and penetration effects.
Embedded fuze technology may be included to improve detonation accuracy.
The US Air Force requested $73.7 million in its fiscal 2026 budget to continue research, ground sub-scale testing, and full-scale static tests.
