Northrop Grumman wins $2.3B deal to maintain aging Minuteman III By (0) Northrop Grumman was awarded a $2.3 billion contract by the Defense Department for sustainment of the U.S. Air Force's Minuteman III ICBM program, which is the ground-based arm of the U.S. nuclear triad. Photo by SSgt. T.J. Armstrong/U.S. Air Force April 21 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman was awarded a $2.3 billion contract for the propulsion system maintenance of the Minuteman III missile system, the Pentagon announced. The contract, which runs through 2040, calls for "sustaining engineering support and program management support services for the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile [ICBM] propulsion subsystem," according to a Tuesday night contract announcement.