WASHINGTON — Defense contractor L3Harris Technologies plans to leverage artificial intelligence partnerships to enhance the Pentagon’s ambitious Golden Dome missile defense initiative, a senior executive said.
The Golden Dome program, established through a Trump administration executive order, aims to create a comprehensive shield protecting the United States against an array of missile threats, including ballistic, hypersonic and advanced cruise missiles.
L3Harris, which has secured over $2 billion in missile-tracking satellite contracts from the Space Force’s Space Development Agency and the Missile Defense Agency, intends to incorporate AI and machine learning (ML) technologies developed through partnerships with Palantir Technologies and Shield AI into the program’s framework.
“We have done very well with sensors,” Ed Zoiss, president of space and airborne systems at L3Harris, told SpaceNews.
“The next area for us to partner is AI and ML,” he added. “That’s the next place we’re going.”
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Collaborative autonomous network
Zoiss said the successful implementation of Golden Dome will require more than just deploying sensors and interceptors. The system needs a “collaborative autonomous network” capable of processing data from hundreds of sensors about incoming threats and sharing that information with interceptor weapons at unprecedented levels of accuracy.
“I think that’s the next place where innovation will need to occur,” Zoiss explained. “We’re not just tracking one threat. There could be dozens or hundreds of threats.” He emphasized that beyond the sensor network, an “AI layer on top of it to be able to coordinate shooters, interceptors and sensors” will be essential.
Some preliminary work on AI and autonomous networks has already begun under a project launched by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in November. This initiative aims to prototype a command-and-control system capable of simultaneously operating hundreds or even thousands of autonomous assets. L3Harris was selected to provide user interface, develop collaborative autonomy capabilities, and serve as systems integrator for the autonomy architecture.
For this and other projects, L3Harris has partnered with Palantir Technologies to utilize their artificial intelligence platform.
Strategic Investment
Shield AI, which recently completed a $240 million F-1 strategic funding round with significant investments from L3Harris and Hanwha Asset Management, will be another key partner in developing AI innovations for defense, according to Zoiss.
The companies have announced plans to collaborate on a demonstration enabling electronic warfare operations with AI-enabled unmanned systems using Shield AI’s “Hivemind” autonomy software.