missile defense Archives - Defense Daily

Golden Dome Head Pushes Back on CBO Estimate; Sen. Sheehy Agrees On Trillion Dollar Scale

Rich Abott — Thu, 14 May 2026 21:43:01 +0000

The head of the Golden Dome program on May 14 strongly disagreed with a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate that a system along the lines of President Donald Trump’s […]

CBO Estimates Golden Dome With Boost-Phase Space Interceptors At $1.2 Trillion

Rich Abott — Wed, 13 May 2026 17:57:46 +0000

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates a potential national missile defense system, along the lines of the Golden Dome’s initially stated objectives, would cost about $1.2 trillion FY 2026 dollars […]

Anduril Outlines Team For Space-Based Interceptors Program

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 05 May 2026 21:09:21 +0000

Anduril Industries on Tuesday named its teammates that are helping it prototype technologies for the Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program that is part of the Golden Dome homeland missile defense initiative. […]

MDA Director Says NGI On Track To Close Design Phase This Year

Rich Abott — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:37:44 +0000

The director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on Monday told senators the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) program is on track to complete the design phase by the end of […]

Space Force Awards $3.2 Billion To 12 Companies For Space-Based Interceptor Work

Rich Abott — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 21:49:52 +0000

The Space Force last announced 12 companies have won contracts totaling up to $3.2 billion to prototype technologies for Space-based Interceptors in support of the Golden Dome initiative. Space Force’s […]

MDA Says GPI To Deliver Four Years Faster After Previous Delays

Rich Abott — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:13:58 +0000

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) director this week told lawmakers that following the receipt of reconciliation funding, they are pushing to get the first counter-hypersonic Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) delivered […]

RTX Signs $3.7 Billion Contract With Ukraine For Patriot GEM-T Interceptors

Rich Abott — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 20:54:53 +0000

RTX’s [RTX] Raytheon business on Tuesday announced it signed a $3.7 billion contract to supply Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical (GEM-T) airborne threat interceptors to Ukraine as a […]

Lockheed Martin Says $4.8 Billion Army PAC-3 MSE Award Will Accelerate Production

Rich Abott — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:33:48 +0000

A day after the Army on April 9 awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $4.76 billion contract to produce an unspecified number of Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 Missile Segment Enhancement missiles, […]

Pentagon More Than Doubles Funding For Missile Defense Interceptors In 2027 Request

Rich Abott — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:56:13 +0000

The Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget request is seeking billions of dollars more to procure missile defense interceptors, according to documents published Friday. The Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) procurement budget […]

U.S. And Japan Conduct First SPY-7 ASEV Live Tracking Test

Rich Abott — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 18:52:42 +0000

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on Friday announced it and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) successfully conducted the first live target tracking exercise with the SPY-7 radar the Japanese […]

Army Plans To Take Over THAAD Program In 2027

Rich Abott — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 19:45:20 +0000

A top Army acquisition official this week said the Army is planning to assume control over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system by next year. While […]

Guetlein Names Golden Dome C2 Primes, Adds $10 Billion To Total Cost

Rich Abott — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:48:59 +0000

The director of the Golden Dome program Tuesday named the three prime contractors working on the Golden Dome command and control (C2) “glue layer” and revealed the program’s expected total […]

RTX Wins $267 Million To Restart SM-3 IB Line, Deliver 23 Interceptors

Rich Abott — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 21:56:55 +0000

While DoD had planned to end procurement of the Standard Missile-3 Block IB (SM-3 IB), the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded RTX [RTX] a $267 million contract modification on March […]

Pentagon Plans $65 Million Effort To Integrate PAC-3 MSEs Onto Navy Destroyers

Rich Abott — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 22:36:06 +0000

The Defense Department plans to spend $65 million from the 2025 reconciliation bill to integrate the Lockheed Martin [LMT] Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) onto the Aegis […]

L3Harris Wins $400 Million Contract For THAAD Motors and LDACS

Rich Abott — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 22:38:11 +0000

L3Harris Technologies [LHX] on Monday announced it received a new $400 million contract to produce more solid rocket boost motors (SRBMs) and Liquid Divert and Attitude Control Systems (LDACS) for […]

THAAD Will Integrate Into IBCS Faster And Cheaper Than DoD Planned, Northrop Grumman Says

Rich Abott — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 22:22:43 +0000

Northrop Grumman [NOC] officials last week confirmed the integration of the Lockheed Martin [LMT] Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system into its Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) is proceeding […]

Golden Dome Official Highlights Importance Of Affordability, Acquisition Reform

Rich Abott — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 22:20:26 +0000

A lead Defense Department official for the Golden Dome program this week argued that while technology for homeland missile defense effort is generally all proven out, the limiting factor is […]

Northrop Grumman Eyes Quadrupling IBCS Production, Maps Out More Mobility And Adding AI

Rich Abott — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:35:59 +0000

Northrop Grumman [NOC] expects to ultimately increase the production rate for the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) by four fold due to rising domestic and international interest in the platform […]

DoD Inspector General Launches Audit Into SM-3 IIA

Rich Abott — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:24:09 +0000

The Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General (OIG) last week announced it has opened an audit of the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) management of the RTX [RTX] Standard […]

Golden Dome Director Outlines Priorities Through 2027

Rich Abott — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 22:45:19 +0000

The director for the Pentagon’s Golden Dome program last week gave industry another peak into his priorities through next year and elaborated on why they have been so secretive about […]

DoD Names Golden Dome Deputy

Rich Abott — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:52:35 +0000

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced the White House has nominated Army Maj. Gen. Brian Gibson to be appointed as lieutenant general and assigned as military deputy to […]

Kelly Says SHIPS Act Moving Forward, Skeptical Of Golden Dome SBIs

Rich Abott — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 22:51:08 +0000

A key backer of the SHIPS for America Act (S. 1541) this week argued it is not bogged down in committee any longer and also expressed strong skepticism of spending […]

Golden Dome Chief Confirms Some Operational Capability By 2028; Culture Bigger Barrier Than Technical Challenges

Rich Abott — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 22:39:31 +0000

The head of the Golden Dome initiative last weekend confirmed that while they still plan to deliver an “operational capability” to defend against advanced threats by 2028, cultural challenges are […]

MDA Awards First SHIELD Golden Dome Contract Vehicle To Over 1,000 Offerors

Rich Abott — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 22:55:12 +0000

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) included over 1,000 winning offerors able to compete under the first in a series of awards for the multiple award Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered […]

Space Force Prepares Golden Dome Solicitation For Midcourse Interceptors

Rich Abott — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:18:16 +0000

The U.S. Space Force is to release a Request for Prototype Proposal (RPP) for what experts have said is the most feasible version of space-based missile defense–midcourse kinetic intercept. Space […]

Rocket Lab Launches HASTE Vehicle With MDA And DIU Payloads

Rich Abott — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 22:12:01 +0000

Rocket Lab [RKLB] on Tuesday announced the successful launch of a suborbital mission using its HASTE launch vehicle with missile defense technology payloads operating for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) […]

Guam Defense Still Connecting Dots In Order Of Systems, Official Says

Rich Abott — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 22:24:42 +0000

An Army official Monday said that while the Guam Defense System (GDS) is progressing and the strategy aligns with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent reform push, there is not yet […]

Northrop Grumman And LIG Nex1 To Collaborate On Korean Air And Missile Defense, May Integrate IBCS

Rich Abott — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 21:06:12 +0000

Northrop Grumman [NOC] and South Korean aerospace and arms manufacturer LIG Nex1 signed a memorandum of Understanding this week to collaborate on air and missile defense capabilities for South Korea. […]

RTX Expanding Production Facility For LTAMDS Radar

Rich Abott — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 21:27:43 +0000

RTX’s [RTX] Raytheon division this week announced it recently broke ground on a new 23,ooo square-foot expansion of its Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) production facility in […]

Glass “Half Full” To Revive Canceled Next-Gen Patriot Interceptor, Army Official Says

Rich Abott — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 21:35:49 +0000

An Army official this week said it looks like the Army will move forward on some aspects of the previously canceled Lower-Tier Future Interceptor (LTFI) program it had been pursuing […]

Boeing Wins $2.7 Billion In PAC-3 Seeker Production Contracts, Lockheed Martin And Diehl Make A Deal

Rich Abott — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 20:04:42 +0000

Boeing [BA] on Tuesday announced it won a series of multiyear contracts worth $2.7 billion total to produce more Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) seekers. Boeing produces the seekers under prime […]

AEI Releases Space-Based Interceptor Calculator, Costs Can Balloon Into Trillions For Larger Constellations

Rich Abott — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 21:31:50 +0000

An American Enterprise Institute (AEI) official created an interactive Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) Calculator to help show how the government’s design choices can vastly affect system cost, size and performance as […]

MDA Extends Golden Dome SHIELD Solicitation Due To Heavy Interest

Rich Abott — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 21:27:03 +0000

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on October 2 extended the submission period for responses for the Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) multiple award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) […]

Lockheed Martin Starts Land-Based Testing Of Japan’s Aegis Ship SPY-7 Radar

Rich Abott — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 20:43:21 +0000

Lockheed Martin [LMT] started initial light off ground-based testing for the Japan-bound Aegis System Equipped Vessel (ASEV)’s shipset 1 SPY-7 radar system on schedule, the company announced Tuesday. The testing […]

Army Awards Lockheed Martin $9.8 Billion PAC-3 MSE Contract

Rich Abott — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 21:30:17 +0000

The Army awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $9.8 billion contract to produce 1,970 Patriot Advanced Capability – 3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) interceptors for the U.S. and international partners, […]

MDA Investigating Low Cost Missile Defense Interceptor Under $1 Million

Rich Abott — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 20:51:58 +0000

The Missile Defense Agency last week solicited white papers toward ultimately quickly demonstrating a Low-Cost Interceptor (LCI) under $1 million each that could help supplement defense against ballistic and hypersonic […]

RTX Wins $1.7 Billion For More LRIP LTAMDS

Rich Abott — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 21:20:50 +0000

RTX [RTX] won a $1.7 billion modification from the Army supporting further low-rate initial production of the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense System (LTAMDS), the Defense Department said on […]

Army Tests LTAMDS Secondary Radar Array In 9th Live Fire Test

Rich Abott — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 21:21:07 +0000

The U.S. Army last week conducted another missile flight test with the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), this time using its secondary radar array detect and track […]

Army Looks To Grow Air and Missile Defense Forces By 30 Percent In Eight Years

Rich Abott — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 21:32:26 +0000

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The commander of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command last week said the service plans to increase its overall air and missile defense (AMD) force by […]

Army’s Incoming 2040 Air And Missile Defense Strategy Due Within Months

Rich Abott — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 21:44:18 +0000

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The head of the Army’s Air and Missile Defense Command last week confirmed the service expects to release the next air and missile defense strategy for 2040 […]

Lockheed Using Northrop Grumman As NGI Rocket Motor Backup

Rich Abott — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 21:17:47 +0000

While Lockheed Martin [LMT] is using L3Harris Technologies [LHX] to build the large solid rocket motors (SRMs) for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), an official told Defense Daily they have […]

AeroVironment And SNC Pitch Partnership For Lower Tier Golden Dome Bids

Rich Abott — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 08:48:56 +0000

AeroVironment, Inc. [AVAV] announced a new strategic partnership with Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) on Thursday during the annual Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Ala., focused on potential air […]

Collins Sees Golden Dome As Periodic Upturn in Missile Defense, Tells Industry To ‘Get Ready To Go Fast And Think Big’

Rich Abott — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 20:48:04 +0000

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Ahead of the thrice rescheduled Golden Dome industry summit, the director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) indirectly alluded to the Trump administration’s initiative as similar to […]

MDA Seeks New Mobile Golden Dome Radar

Rich Abott — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 20:23:00 +0000

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is investigating industry capability and interest in producing a new mobile radar to support the Golden Dome program. According to a July 24 Request For […]

Golden Dome Head Outlines Near Term Goals, Space-Based Interceptors, And Undecided Architecture

Rich Abott — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 21:23:16 +0000

The new head of the Trump administration’s Golden Dome initiative recently outlined his near-term goals, noting space-based interceptors (SBIs) will be the hardest technical challenge, and clarified the architecture and […]

MDA Seeks New Missile Defense Launcher For Golden Dome Within Two Years

Rich Abott — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 21:50:31 +0000

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is starting market research to determine an “innovative missile defense launcher” and support equipment technologies that could be delivered within two years as part of […]

Lockheed Martin Wins Another $2.97 Billion Contract To Upgrade Aegis Over Next Decade

Rich Abott — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 17:57:35 +0000

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] another 10-year contract to maintain and upgrade the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system in a contract worth up to $2.97 […]

LRDR Tracks First ICBM Target Flight

Rich Abott — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 20:40:55 +0000

The Defense Department said the S-Band Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) conducted its first flight test tracking of a live missile target on Monday, relaying data to the Control Battle […]

Kelly Pushes Hegseth On Golden Dome Reality, Cutting Pentagon Testers

Rich Abott — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 21:35:38 +0000

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) on Wednesday showed strong skepticism that the wide-ranging Golden Dome missile defense initiative is realistic while also cutting the Pentagon’s independent weapons testing office that could […]

GAO Reveals DoD Changed Guam Missile Defense Architecture, Canceled TPY-6 Radar

Rich Abott — Thu, 29 May 2025 21:15:08 +0000

A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed a top Biden administration DoD official changed the Guam Defense System (GDS) missile defense architecture in the final days of the administration, […]