The Area Growth Company (SDA) introduced the award of two prototype agreements with a complete potential worth over $1.3 billion for the institution of the Tranche 1 (T1) Monitoring Layer, offering the preliminary missile warning/missile monitoring warfighting functionality of the Nationwide Protection Area Structure (NDSA). These satellites will start to launch in April 2025. These prototypes will present world and protracted indications, detection, warning, monitoring, and identification of typical and superior missile threats, together with hypersonic missile techniques. The agreements are awarded to groups led by L3Harris Applied sciences, Inc. of Melbourne, Fla. and Northrop Grumman Strategic Area Programs of Redondo Seaside, Calif. to every construct an area section consisting of two planes with seven house autos per aircraft – 14 satellites from every performer for a complete of 28 satellites in 4 planes – to gather infrared knowledge and supply community communications. Every settlement features a launch companies section for launch preparation, and a floor section for operations and sustainment.
“The T1 Monitoring Layer effort is a essential step towards constructing the Nationwide Protection Area Structure,” mentioned Derek Tournear, SDA director. “SDA is assured that collection of the L3 Harris and Northrop Grumman groups supplies one of the best general resolution to speed up supply of a low-Earth orbit constellation with wide-field-of-view infrared sensors for a worldwide missile warning and missile monitoring functionality in Tranche 1, on schedule.”
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“The pace with which SDA pursued this effort is commendable, given the severity of the hypersonic missile risk,” mentioned Christopher E. Kubasik, L3Harris Chair and Chief Government Officer. “This prime contract is a testomony to our rising affect within the house group, and affirms our technique of being a Trusted Disruptor is gaining traction.”
“Northrop Grumman brings many years of confirmed expertise in missile detection, identification, monitoring and communication techniques,” mentioned Robert Fleming, Northrop’s Vice President and Normal Supervisor of the Strategic Area Programs Division. “We sit up for working with the Area Growth Company and our business companions on the nation’s most urgent challenges in missile protection.”
The Tranche 1 Monitoring Layer will construct upon the Tranche 0 Monitoring Layer capabilities with focused expertise enhancements, expanded protection, elevated integration, established calibration processes, and higher manufacturing efficiencies. The Monitoring Layer is concentrated on creating a worldwide constellation of infrared missile warning and missile monitoring satellites that combine with the Transport Layer’s low-latency meshed communication community, enabling typical and superior missile monitoring from proliferated low-Earth orbit. The Tranche 1 Monitoring Layer satellites shall be flown out of SDA’s Operations and Integration Facilities at Grand Forks Air Pressure Base, N.D. and Redstone Arsenal, Ala. In fiscal 12 months 2022 Congress supplied SDA $550 million in extra funding to speed up deployment of the Monitoring Layer, with particular course to display a space-based missile warning, monitoring, and concentrating on functionality in assist of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The imaginative and prescient for the NDSA contains fielding a system that gives a resilient world functionality to all combatant instructions as quickly and affordably as doable.
SDA revealed the Tranche 1 Monitoring Layer solicitation on March 17, two days after the President signed the fiscal 12 months 2022 appropriations invoice into regulation. Leveraging Different Transaction Authority, SDA accomplished a aggressive supply choice and finalized the agreements inside 4 months of the revealed solicitation. L3 Harris is awarded a prototype settlement with a possible worth of roughly $700 million and Northrop Grumman Strategic Area Programs’ award has a possible worth of roughly $617 million. The proposal was obtained and evaluated below Different Transaction Authorities solicitation SDA-PS-22-02. The Area Growth Company of Washington, DC is the contracting exercise (HQ08502290003). In regards to the Area Growth Company. Acknowledged as DOD’s constructive disruptor for house acquisition, SDA will speed up supply of wanted space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter to assist terrestrial missions via improvement, fielding, and operation of the Nationwide Protection Area Structure.
