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

The US Space Force has awarded 11 companies, including Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Anduril, contracts worth up to $3.2 billion to develop space-based interceptors for Trump's Golden Dome missile defense program. The deals use Other Transaction Authority agreements to allow flexibility in vendor selection. The program aims to build AI-enabled orbital interceptors to counter ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles. Critics note the initiative echoes Reagan's 1980s SDI program and faces skepticism over cost — analysts previously estimated an effective system could cost $300 billion or more.