The U.S. Air Force has awarded defense company Applied Research Associates (ARA) a two-year contract to design and build prototypes of the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP), a successor to the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) used in June against Iranian nuclear sites.
The contract, announced Friday by the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based company, tasks ARA with overall design and production of the NGP prototypes, with Boeing, the original developer of the MOP, partnering on the project.
“This award emphasizes the trust that Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) places in ARA’s proven capabilities,” company President and CEO Rob Sues said.
The 30,000-pound MOP, carried exclusively by the B-2 Spirit bomber, was first deployed during Operation Midnight Hammer on June 21, when 14 of the weapons reportedly struck Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordo and Natanz.
Iran later confirmed that its nuclear facilities were “badly damaged” by U.S. strikes.
Air Force industry surveys show the service wants a lighter successor, under 22,000 pounds, with blast, fragmentation, and penetration effects. Embedded fuze technology is also being studied to improve detonation timing inside hardened structures.
The Air Force has requested $73.7 million in fiscal 2026 for the NGP program to complete subscale and full-scale ground tests.
Prototype demonstrations are scheduled through fiscal 2027. It is unclear whether the new bomb will be limited to the B-2 and upcoming B-21 Raider or adapted to other aircraft.
