FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a nearly $955 million contract from the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency to build 18 missile-tracking satellites that will support President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative.
The satellites will be manufactured at the company’s Fort Wayne facility on West Cook Road, bringing a significant defense manufacturing investment to northeast Indiana.
The Accelerated Missile Defense Tranche 3 (AMDT3) satellites are designed to detect and track advanced missile threats, including hypersonic and ballistic weapons. Equipped with medium-field-of-view infrared sensors, the satellites will provide fire-control quality tracking data to strengthen the nation’s missile defense capabilities.
L3Harris Chairman and CEO Christopher Kubasik said the company has already expanded its production capacity to meet the growing demand for space-based defense systems.
“We are proud to provide next-generation technology that will accelerate the nation’s ability to defend against emerging threats from hypersonic and ballistic weapons,” Kubasik said. “As the industry’s Trusted Disruptor, L3Harris invested ahead of need by expanding production facilities and is ready to deliver missile defense satellites to support this national priority.”
Indiana Sen. Jim Banks praised the award, saying it highlights the state’s growing role in national defense.
“L3Harris’ continued work in Indiana will deliver the next generation of space-based tracking capabilities that we need to protect the homeland and stay ahead of our adversaries,” Banks said. “This is exactly the kind of industrial investment that strengthens deterrence.”
According to Banks’ office, the contract is tied to provisions included in the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, which also authorizes millions of dollars for military construction projects across Indiana.
The new award builds on L3Harris’ previous work developing the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) program for the Missile Defense Agency. Including this latest order, the company now has more than 70 missile-tracking and missile-defense satellites under contract or already in orbit through the Missile Defense Agency and the Space Development Agency.
