The Missile Defense Agency has issued a second tranche of awards under its Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense contract, adding 1,086 companies to the competitive pool supporting the $151 billion SHIELD multiple-award vehicle, one of several contracting mechanisms supporting the administration’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative.
The latest awards follow the initial group of 1,014 contractors announced earlier this month, the Department of War said Thursday, bringing the total number of SHIELD awardees to more than 2,100.
The expansion of large, multi-award defense vehicles underscores the complexity of today’s defense research and engineering environment. The 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29 will bring together senior leaders from across the Department of Defense, industry and academia to examine how emerging technologies — including FutureG and 5G, AI, quantum and secure IT — are being developed, integrated and transitioned into operational use. Register to engage with decision-makers shaping the next phase of defense research and innovation.
Which Companies Were Added in the Second Award Phase?
The second tranche includes a mix of large defense primes, mid-tier integrators and technology firms. Newly added awardees include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Boeing, Anduril, Sierra Nevada Corp., Leidos, General Dynamics Information Technology, HII Mission Technologies, KBR Wyle Services, Maxar Intelligence, Guidehouse, CGI Federal, Oracle America, Cherokee Nation Government Solutions and Virtualitics.
SHIELD was competitively procured through the System for Award Management, with 2,463 proposals submitted.
What Changes With the Second Tranche of SHIELD Awards?
With the additional awards finalized, MDA has formally transitioned SHIELD into the ordering phase. The agency is already conducting market research and drafting fair opportunity proposal requests to support upcoming task orders.
No funding is obligated at the base contract level. All funding will be applied through individual task orders competed among SHIELD awardees.
According to the DOW announcement, the contract vehicle is structured to allow both the MDA and other DOW components to rapidly compete work under a single enterprise contract, reducing acquisition timelines for homeland missile defense capabilities.
What Types of Work Will SHIELD Support?
SHIELD is designed to support a broad range of activities tied to layered homeland defense, including research and development, systems engineering, prototyping, experimentation, modernization and sustainment.
Task orders may incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning-enabled applications where appropriate.
Work will be performed across the United States. If all options are exercised, the ordering period could extend through December 2035.
