Lockheed Lands $1B Missile-Tracking Satellite Deal and the 1943 Activation of Thirteenth Air Force

From jungle airstrips to low-Earth orbit: coordinating faster and fighting across distances now reaches space, where missile-tracking satellites sharpen warning, cue defenses, and sustain deterrence.

“These innovative approaches position Lockheed Martin to meet the warfighter’s urgent need for a proliferated missile defense constellation.”

—Joe Rickers, vice president of Transport, Tracking and Warning at Lockheed Martin

Mission Briefing

Last December 2025, Lockheed Martin charted a new course in space defense, securing a Pentagon contract that could s…