WASHINGTON ― The Space Force announced today that it has awarded SpaceX a contract worth $4.16 billion to “accelerate” the service’s “Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator (SB-AMTI)” program.
“We are beginning development and integration efforts immediately to meet the program’s rapid deployment milestones and address emerging national security requirements,” Col. Ryan Frazier, acting Space Force portfolio acquisition executive for Space Based Sensing & Targeting, said in a statement.
Space-based AMTI sensors are being designed to replace the Air Force’s E-7 Wedgetail, which is turn was developed to replace the aging E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft. The move to space is seen by the Department of the Air Force as necessary due to ever-more sophisticated anti-access/area-denial systems available to potential adversaries.
SpaceX was one of nine companies chosen by the Space Force in April to compete for the SB-AMTI program under an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contracting vehicle, the announcement noted.
“While this OTA agreement establishes initial SB-AMTI capability, the Space Force anticipates issuing multiple awards in the coming year to drive a vendor-diverse expansion, enhancing capacity and capability for combatant commanders,” the service announcement today explained. “This initial award is projected to field a constellation of satellites by 2028, providing the Joint Force with an early capability to eliminate operational blind spots.”
The Space Force has not disclosed either the names of the other companies in the vendor pool nor the total value of the OTA.
The service’s fiscal 2026 baseline budget contains no funds for air moving target indication; however the pot of reconciliation funding slated for programs related to the Trump administration’s Golden Dome initiative includes $9.2 billion for target tracking, according to an analysis by The Aerospace Corporation. The Space Force’s FY27 budget asks for a whopping $7 billion in reconciliation money for SB-AMTI.
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