By Alimat Aliyeva

The US Department of Defense will continue to develop the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), despite the fact that the cost of this program has increased by about 81%, to $141 billion, Azernews reports.

As noted in the document, Bill Laplante, Deputy Secretary of Defense for Procurement and Logistics, concluded based on the results of the assessment that "continued work on the Sentinel program is vital for national security."

"There are no alternatives to this program that would provide an acceptable potential to meet common requirements at a lower cost," the statement says.

According to new Pentagon data, the total cost of the program will be "$140.9 billion, which is 81% more than estimates" presented in September 2020.

It should be noted that the US Department of Defense plans to adopt the Sentinel ICBM to replace the Minuteman III. This stage should become one of the central elements of the modernization of the national nuclear forces. According to the Pentagon, the missiles will be deployed no earlier than 2031.