Trump's Golden Dome gets $3.2BN of contractors and an AI sprinkle

Public Sector 25 Trump's Golden Dome gets $3.2B of contractors and an AI sprinkle 25 Space Force awards 11 firms prototype deals to build orbital interceptors Dan Robinson Mon 27 Apr 2026 // 13:03 UTC The United States Space Force (USSF) has awarded eleven companies contracts to develop space-based interceptors for President Trump's Golden Dome program, in agreements worth up to $3.2 billion. Raytheon, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are among the familiar defense contractors named in the list, alongside newer tech firms including Anduril and True Anomaly Inc, which focuses exclusively on space defense. The awards use Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements, which allow prototype research and development outside standard federal acquisition rules, giving the government flexibility to select a provider without being locked into a single contractor. <a href="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&amp;iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=2&amp;c=2ae_wzVOXIFMTbQIHTxZXoAAAAlE&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0" target="_blank"> <img src="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ad?co=1&amp;iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=2&amp;c=2ae_wzVOXIFMTbQIHTxZXoAAAAlE&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0" alt=""> </a> The Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program was established last year, as part of the Golden Dome of America program. This stems from one of Trump's first Executive Orders after his 2025 inauguration, which called for a system to defend the US against ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, as well as "other advanced aerial attacks." <a href="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&amp;iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=4&amp;c=44ae_wzVOXIFMTbQIHTxZXoAAAAlE&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" target="_blank"> <img src="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ad?co=1&amp;iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=4&amp;c=44ae_wzVOXIFMTbQIHTxZXoAAAAlE&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D426raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" alt=""> </a> <a href="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&amp;iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=3&amp;c=33ae_wzVOXIFMTbQIHTxZXoAAAAlE&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" target="_blank"> <img src="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ad?co=1&amp;iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&amp;sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&amp;tile=3&amp;c=33ae_wzVOXIFMTbQIHTxZXoAAAAlE&amp;t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" alt=""> </a> The Space Force argues the global strategic landscape has shifted enough to require combining existing missile defense systems with next-generation space-based tracking and AI-enabled interceptors. The latter is necessary to "counter the speed, manoeuvrability, and lethality of the threats." Bryon McClain, program head and USSF Colonel, said OTAs allow the Space Force to bring in both traditional and non-traditional vendors to take advantage of some of the more…

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