U.S. Space Force Selects Leonardo DRS Sensor to Track and Target Fast-Moving Threats in Space.

The U.S. Space Force has selected Leonardo DRS to advance a space-based sensor for detecting, tracking, and targeting fast-moving threats, the company announced on September 1, 2026. The capability is intended to tighten the space-based sensor-to-shooter kill chain by keeping difficult targets under continuous watch and delivering usable targeting data faster.

The prototype will focus on maintaining custody of maneuvering or otherwise elusive threats while producing targeting-quality information for operational decisions. If successful, it could strengthen U.S. space-control missions by improving responsiveness, targeting confidence, and the ability to act against time-sensitive threats in contested environments.

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L3Harris missile-tracking satellites illustrate the growing U.S. military use of space-based sensors to detect and maintain custody of advanced threats, including hypersonic missiles. Leonardo DRS has now been selected by the U.S. Space Force to advance a separate space-based sensor capable of detecting, identifying, tracking and targeting fast-moving threats.

The award forms part of the U.S. Space Force’s broader Space Combat Power acquisition push, under which the service awarded seven Other Transaction Agreements in May and June 2026 and planned another six in July, bringing the effort to 13 awards worth more than $500 million. The program is designed to move promising technologies rapidly into prototype, test and fielding work, reflecting the U.S. Space Force’s effort to shorten the path between sensing, targeting and operational effect.

Leonardo DRS said the new U.S. Space Force sensor supports a space-based mission and builds on its current and next-generation sensing technologies, with affordability, scalable manufacturing and a resilient production supply chain among the main priorities. The company did not disclose the contract value, development schedule, orbital architecture, spectral bands, detection range or specific threat set.

The combat relevance lies in the sequence of functions Leonardo DRS highlighted. Detecting a fast-moving object provides only initial awareness; identifying it, maintaining an accurate track and producing targeting-quality data are what allow a sensor to contribute to a kill chain. For the U.S. Space Force, the objective is to reduce the time between finding a threat and delivering usable information to command-and-control networks or systems capable of responding.

This sensor-to-shooter process becomes more demanding when the target is maneuvering or moving at very high speed. If a sensor detects an object but loses custody before another sensor or weapon can take over the track, the operational value of the initial detection falls sharply. A space-based sensor able to sustain track quality can reduce reacquisition gaps, improve continuity and give commanders more time and confidence to decide whether and how to act.

Leonardo DRS has not disclosed whether the intended targets are spacecraft, missiles, hypersonic weapons, airborne systems or another class of fast-moving threat. Hypersonic tracking and counterspace threats nevertheless provide important strategic context because both place heavy demands on detection speed, track persistence and low-latency data processing. China and Russia are also developing increasingly capable space weapons and counterspace systems, but those capabilities should be understood as the wider threat environment rather than confirmed targets of this specific Leonardo DRS contract.

The new effort also reflects a broader shift in U.S. military space sensing from warning toward targeting. Traditional missile-warning constellations were primarily designed to detect launches and alert commanders, while newer architectures increasingly seek to maintain persistent tracks and provide data precise enough to support fire-control or engagement decisions. The Leonardo DRS award appears to fit this wider move toward turning orbital sensing into actionable combat information.

Leonardo DRS already has relevant experience in military space sensing, including infrared payload work for missile-tracking missions involving ballistic and hypersonic threats. That background gives the company an established base in space-qualified sensing technology and may reduce development and manufacturing risk if the new prototype moves toward operational fielding.

The emphasis on manufacturability is also significant. Leonardo DRS said the technology is being developed with affordability, scalability and resilient supply chains in mind, indicating that the U.S. Space Force is evaluating not only sensor performance but also whether the design can be produced in useful numbers. For a distributed orbital sensing architecture, production scale can directly affect coverage, resilience and the ability to maintain target custody during conflict.

For the U.S. Space Force, the central capability is persistent space targeting rather than simple detection. A sensor that can find, identify, track, and target fast-moving threats from orbit could strengthen the space kill chain by moving actionable data more quickly from the sensing layer into command-and-control and engagement networks.

The lack of disclosed technical details prevents a firm assessment of the sensor’s final mission, but the combination of track-and-target functions, space-based operation and scalable production points toward an operational requirement rather than a laboratory-only experiment. If the prototype succeeds, Leonardo DRS could provide the U.S. Space Force with a new sensing capability designed to maintain custody of difficult threats and accelerate the transition from detection to targeting in increasingly contested space operations.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.