#missile defense

U.S. Navy leaders are again making the case for directed-energy weapons, but their own testimony shows the central obstacle has not changed: current surface ships still struggle to provide the power and cooling laser war

Lockheed Martin has broken ground on a new Alabama facility intended to help quadruple THAAD interceptor production, signaling how strongly U.S. missile manufacturing is shifting toward long-horizon expansion.

A new Congressional Budget Office estimate places the cost of the Golden Dome missile defense program at about $1.2 trillion over two decades, far above the figure previously promoted by Donald Trump.

DARPA’s effort to develop universal optical satellite links is winding down, but the technology is expected to continue under the Defense Innovation Unit with a potential on-orbit demonstration ahead.

The first batch of Tamir interceptors has been delivered to support the US Marine Corps’ Medium Range Intercept Capability, advancing a mobile air-defense program built around Iron Dome technology.

The Marine Corps is studying whether it needs its own theater ballistic missile defense capability, arguing that the Army may not have enough capacity to protect Marine forces in future high-end conflicts.

A May 13 virtual event hosted by SpaceNews and sponsored by Wind River will examine how software reliability, interoperability, and trust shape increasingly distributed missile defense architectures.

The U.S. Space Force has identified 12 companies working on early development for space-based interceptors under the Pentagon’s Golden Dome initiative, with agreements worth up to $3.2 billion.

The US Space Force has tapped 12 companies for prototype work on space-based interceptors, pushing the most ambitious part of the proposed Golden Dome missile-defense architecture toward a 2028 demonstration.

The U.S. Space Force disclosed 20 contracts with a potential value of $3.2 billion for space-based interceptor work tied to President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative.

The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to integrate Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptors with the Aegis Combat System and is seeking funding for 405 missiles in fiscal 2027.

At the Space Symposium, government and industry officials described a growing focus on detecting, understanding and disrupting missile threats before liftoff, expanding missile defense beyond tracking launches already in

The U.S. military’s Golden Dome architecture may proceed without space-based interceptors if the Pentagon decides the capability cannot be produced affordably and at scale.

Israel says it is significantly increasing production of Arrow interceptors to strengthen its upper air-defense layer against ballistic threats from Iran and its proxies.

An imaging infrared seeker believed to be from a U.S. THAAD interceptor appears to have been found in Syria, a development that could expose sensitive missile-defense technology if verified.

Fire Point, known for Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missile, says it is working with European companies on a new air defense system aimed at cutting the cost of intercepting ballistic threats.

Iran’s use of ballistic missiles that release cluster munitions at high altitude is highlighting a vulnerability in terminal missile defense and increasing pressure on mid-course interceptors.

The Defense Department and Boeing have signed a framework agreement to triple production of PAC-3 missile seekers, targeting a key bottleneck in interceptor manufacturing.

Poland says its Patriot batteries will stay in place to protect national airspace and NATO’s eastern flank, despite reports that Washington informally asked about sending systems and interceptors to the Middle East.

Ukraine says it has reached new defense cooperation understandings with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, with Doha explicitly citing missile and drone defense expertise sharing.