L3Harris Technologies has completed a $125m expansion at its Fort Wayne space manufacturing facility in Indiana, aiming to meet the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) critical demand for space-based technology designed for national defence.
The 95,000ft² expanded facility is designed to support various aspects of the company’s missile defence programmes, including engineering, integration, testing, and programme management.
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US representative Marlin Stutzman said: “The new investments and construction by L3Harris in Fort Wayne are a crucial step in making the defensive capabilities of our country ‘Made in America’ again.
“The incoming jobs to our community will boost our local economy to the tune of millions of dollars. More companies should follow L3Harris’ lead in returning their operations to our shores and uplifting the communities that made them what they are today.”
L3Harris currently has five satellites in orbit and is working on an additional 34 satellites for the Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer and the Missile Defense Agency’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) programme.
The expanded facility will also serve to increase satellite production capacity.
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By GlobalDataIn March 2025, US President Donald Trump informed Congress and citizens that the country would seek to develop an air defence system, dubbed Golden Dome, akin to Israel’s Iron Dome, aimed at shielding against incoming missile threats.
L3Harris Space and Airborne Systems president Ed Zoiss said: “Accelerating the nation’s missile warning and defense capabilities is a priority for national security as we move forward with supporting President Trump’s vision for America’s Golden Dome.
“With capacity to produce 48 payloads per year, we continue to deliver at the scale and speed our defence customers require and are successfully poised to protect against threats to our homeland.”
In addition, L3Harris is also a provider of mission-critical technology for other space-based defence initiatives.
This announcement comes after L3Harris received a $90m follow-on contract from the US Space Force Space Systems Command to continue the modernisation of the nation’s Space Domain Awareness programme, in March 2025.
