While the Space Development Agency initially intended to make awards to more than one vendor, the agency determined that a sole-source contract with the Boeing-owned firm was “best value.”
By Theresa HitchensMillennium Space Systems is delivering on critical missile tracking constellation
With programs like MTC, Millennium Space Systems is redefining what it means to be an operational prime – rapidly delivering operational small sat constellations on rapid timelines.
“The LRDR completed a Space Domain Awareness (SDA) data collect event in January 2024 that proved the SDA capability, and the U.S. Space Force and MDA are in the process of formally declaring LRDR ready for SDA early use in April 2024,” according to MDA Director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins.
By Theresa Hitchens
MDA Chief Lt. Gen. Heath Collins said more maneuverable missiles and drones have changed the missile defense game: Instead of just preparing to hit “fastballs,” he said, “now we’re hitting sliders and curveballs.”
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The Missile Defense Agency recently accelerated plans to pick a winning vendor, a decision previously planned for next year.
By Michael Marrow
With a max value of $4.1 billion over five to 10 years, the C2BMC-Next contract will upgrade the global missile defense system to tap new satellite feeds, track hypersonic and cruise missiles, and employ AI — all potential building blocks of a future CJADC2 meta-network.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
MDA Chief Lt. Gen. Heath Collins told lawmakers the sharply accelerated schedule was a result of budget constraints paired with agency confidence in its “in-depth” knowledge of competitors Northrop and Lockheed’s designs even before formal design review.
By Lee Ferran The MDA request includes $105 million for the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR), slightly more than the $103.5 requested in FY24. LRDR, deemed a critical capability by US Northern Command (NORTHCOM)/NORAD leaders, will transfer to the Space Force to begin operations in FY25.
By Theresa Hitchens
What’s new in naval radars and missiles: Defending the Pacific
Defending U.S. naval forces in the Pacific, Red Sea, and elsewhere require a range of systems from close-in weapons to anti-ballistic missiles.
The agencies said in their joint announcement that the “launch of the two prototype systems will be followed by two years of on-orbit testing.”
By Theresa Hitchens
MDA is expected to stage a down-select to one NGI competitor following critical design reviews, now slated for 2025, of both the Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin prototypes.
By Theresa Hitchens
An SDA official explained that the six “preliminary fire control” satellites in Tracking Layer Tranche 2 will carry a mix of wide-field-of-view and medium-field-of-view infrared cameras.
By Theresa Hitchens
“The key word here is persistence,” study author Masao Dahlgren told Breaking Defense. “How do we get persistence over the regions we care about? That hasn’t been as explicitly put into prior work until now. This report puts into sharp relief.”
By Theresa Hitchens
The Defense Business Board study, however, recommends against folding the NRO and MDA into the Space Force.
By Theresa Hitchens
The first Lockheed Martin NGI is forecast for delivery to the warfighter as early as fiscal 2027, according to the company.
By Theresa Hitchens
Under its Glide Breaker project, DARPA wants to develop a prototype kill vehicle to intercept incoming hypersonic vehicles in their glide phase, before they begin high-speed maneuvers.
By Theresa Hitchens
