The US Space Force has signed a new agreement under an L3Harris missile defence contract to enhance orbital tracking capabilities against hypersonic and ballistic threats. The critical partnership with the Space Development Agency calls for the production and delivery of 18 AMDT3 satellites that will strengthen America’s missile defence architecture.
Hypersonic Tracking with L3Harris Missile Defence Contract
The AMDT3 satellites being developed by L3Harris will carry specialised medium field of view sensor payloads optimised for detecting high speed threats. The contract aims to speed up the engagement process against threats by feeding data directly from orbit to existing missile defence systems.
The project builds on L3Harris’s previous work on the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor programme for the Missile Defence Agency.
Production Gets Underway Immediately
L3Harris Chairman and CEO Christopher Kubasik said the company is ready for the task. He stated, “We are proud to deliver technologies that will accelerate the nation’s defence against emerging threats from hypersonic and ballistic weapons. As the industry’s ‘Trusted Disruptor,’ we are prepared to support this national priority with our leading investments in production facilities.”
The company has brought online its expanded space production facility in Indiana and a new satellite integration centre in Florida. It has announced that production of the 18 satellite series has now commenced.
L3Harris Missile Defence Contract and Portfolio of Over 70 Satellites
With this new contract, L3Harris has pushed its total order book for missile tracking and defence satellites past 70. The company also has five satellites currently on orbit and actively operating. Production and launch activities continue for other platforms under the MDA’s HBTSS programme and the SDA’s Tranche 0, 1, 2 and 3 Tracking Layer projects.
In addition to missile tracking systems, the company continues to play an active role in various network-centric warfare projects, such as the U.S. Air Force’s ABMS architecture. You can find more information on the company’s other efforts in this field in our article: L3Harris to shape the US Air Force’s ABMS Network Infrastructure.
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Source: C4Defence– L3Harris
