MELBOURNE, Fla. — L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a $955 million contract by the U.S. Space Force's Space Development Agency (SDA) to build 18 Accelerated Missile Defense Tranche 3 (AMDT3) satellites, supporting the United States' Golden Dome missile defense initiative.
The contract, announced on July 13, 2026, is part of the SDA's broader $1.75 billion procurement program to accelerate the deployment of space-based missile tracking capabilities. Alongside the L3Harris award, Sierra Space received a $798 million contract to produce 18 complementary missile warning satellites. Together, the two companies will deliver 36 satellites, which will operate across four orbital planes and are expected to be ready for launch by the end of 2028.
Strengthening Space-Based Missile Tracking
The AMDT3 satellites will become part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), the SDA's expanding network of low-Earth orbit military satellites designed to provide continuous global missile warning and tracking.
L3Harris' satellites will serve as the missile defense variant of the Tracking Layer. Each spacecraft will carry medium-field-of-view infrared sensors capable of detecting and continuously tracking missile threats, including hypersonic and ballistic missiles. The sensors are designed to generate fire-control quality tracking data, allowing information to be passed to ground-based and airborne missile defense systems to support interception operations.
According to the Space Development Agency, the accelerated deployment of these satellites is intended to strengthen missile detection, identification, warning, tracking, and defense capabilities for the United States, its deployed forces, and allied nations against increasingly advanced missile threats.
Builds on HBTSS Experience
The new contract expands L3Harris' existing work in space-based missile tracking. The company previously developed and launched Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) prototypes for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), successfully demonstrating the performance of its infrared tracking payloads in orbit.
The experience gained from the HBTSS program is being applied directly to the AMDT3 satellites, helping reduce development risk while supporting faster deployment of the new tracking constellation.
Production to Begin Immediately
L3Harris said manufacturing of the tactical payloads will begin immediately. The satellites will be produced at the company's expanded spacecraft manufacturing facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, while final satellite integration and testing will be carried out at its facility in Florida.
Christopher Kubasik, Chairman and CEO of L3Harris, said the company had expanded its production capacity ahead of anticipated demand to support national missile defense priorities and meet the program's delivery schedule.
Expanding the Tracking Layer
The SDA said the new satellites are part of its effort to accelerate deployment of the Tracking Layer, a key element of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. The network is designed to provide persistent global coverage by using large numbers of satellites in low-Earth orbit rather than relying on a small number of traditional spacecraft.
GP Sandhoo, a Space Force portfolio executive, said the awards accelerate deployment of the Tracking Layer to provide persistent missile warning, detection, identification, tracking, and defense capabilities for the homeland, deployed forces, and allied nations.
More Than 70 Missile Defense Satellites on Order
With this latest contract, L3Harris now has more than 70 missile tracking and defense satellites on order across multiple U.S. government programs. The company's portfolio includes satellites for the Missile Defense Agency's HBTSS program and the SDA's Tracking Layer Tranches 0, 1, 2, and 3, with five satellites already operating in orbit.
Senator Jim Banks of Indiana welcomed the contract, stating that the continued production work in Indiana will strengthen both the country's industrial base and its next generation of space-based missile tracking capabilities.
The AMDT3 program represents another step in the U.S. effort to expand its space-based missile warning and tracking network, providing continuous sensor coverage and supporting missile defense systems against evolving threats, including hypersonic and ballistic missiles.
Source : l3harris
——— End of Article ———
