MDA extends deadline for $151B SHIELD contract
Gettyimages.com/ Anton Petrus
By
Nick Wakeman
The 10-year multiple-award vehicle will serve as the primary contracting mechanism for the Golden Dome missile defense architecture, a top Trump administration priority.
The Missile Defense Agency has extended the deadline for the SHIELD contract by another week, in part because of industry inquiries about this procurement for supporting the creation of Golden Dome.
Proposals are now due Oct. 16 for the 10-year, $151 billion multiple award vehicle known as Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense contract.
SHIELD will be the primary vehicle for the development of Golden Dome, the Trump administration's vision for a nationwide missile defense system and one of its top priorities.
MDA has closed the question period for the contract and said it will not reopen.
Golden Dome must be able to counter ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, cruise missiles and other advanced aerial attacks across all flight phases.
MDA wants advanced, multi-domain defense systems that are capable of protecting the U.S. homeland, deployed forces, and allies against increasingly sophisticated threats.
The contract will have four primary work areas:
- Research and development
- Engineering and production
- Operations and support
- Analysis and IT services
MDA has not said how many awards it expects to make. Awards could come as soon as the end of this year.