Sen. Banks Applauds L3Harris Contract to Strengthen America’s Missile Defense

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) applauded L3Harris Technologies' selection by the U.S. Space Force's Space Development Agency (SDA) to produce 18 Accelerated Missile Defense Tranche 3 (AMDT3) satellites supporting President Trump's Golden Dome missile defense initiative.

The satellites will be manufactured in part at L3Harris' expanded space manufacturing facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, supporting Hoosier jobs while strengthening America's ability to detect and track advanced hypersonic and ballistic missile threats.

Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.): "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. This is exactly the kind of industrial investment that strengthens deterrence."

The AMDT3 satellites are equipped with advanced infrared sensors capable of providing fire-control-quality tracking data to defend against emerging missile threats. The award builds on L3Harris' previous work supporting the Missile Defense Agency's Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) program and the Space Development Agency's Tracking Layer. L3Harris recently expanded its space manufacturing operations in Fort Wayne, positioning Indiana at the forefront of America's growing defense industrial base. The company will begin manufacturing immediately following the award.

Background:

• The U.S. Space Force's Space Development Agency awarded L3Harris a contract to build 18 Accelerated Missile Defense Tranche 3 satellites.

• The satellites will support President Trump's Golden Dome missile defense initiative by improving the nation's ability to detect and track advanced hypersonic and ballistic missile threats.

• The satellites are manufactured at the L3Harris facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and assembled in Palm Bay, Florida.

• L3Harris currently has more than 70 missile-tracking and missile-defense satellites under contract across multiple Space Development Agency and Missile Defense Agency programs.

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