*

Contracts awarded to Northrop Grumman ( NOC ), True Anomaly,

Lockheed

Martin ( LMT ), Anduril, sources said

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Contracts aim to develop space-based missile defense

prototypes

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Initial awards could lead to billion-dollar production

contracts

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Space Force spokesperson confirms awards but declines to

name

contractors

By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Space Force has

awarded about a half dozen small Golden Dome contracts to build

competing missile defense prototypes, kicking off a race for

future deals worth tens of billions of dollars, according to two

sources briefed on the matter.

The awards went to several companies including Northrop Grumman ( NOC )

, True Anomaly, Lockheed Martin ( LMT ) and Anduril, the

sources said.

The contracts mark a significant step forward in the

Pentagon's efforts to track and destroy enemy missiles, and

include prototypes of space-based interceptors and related

systems. While Reuters could not determine the size of the

contracts, a July Pentagon presentation seen by Reuters

suggested awards for interceptor contracts would be about

$120,000 each.

The contracts have not yet been publicly announced, though a

Space Force spokesperson confirmed the awards, declining to name

the contractors. The spokesperson said that contracts under $9

million do not need to be publicly disclosed.

Winners of these initial awards will compete for final

production contracts that could be worth tens of billions of

dollars.

The contracts will fund the development of competing prototypes

for phase interceptors that will shoot down a missile as it

enters space, and the fire control stations to coordinate the

signals from satellites and help interceptors launch and find

their targets.

The Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman ( NOC ) and Anduril

contracts valued at $10 million, according to values printed in

the July Pentagon presentation, the sources said.

Names of the companies that won contracts in both these

award pools have not previously been reported.

The government had asked contractors to develop four

different versions of interceptors to address threats at various

altitudes and speeds that have yet to be awarded.

A third source said the four interceptor pools may be

consolidated into three.

A Northrop spokesperson declined to comment. Anduril,

Lockheed and True Anomaly did not immediately respond to a

request for comment.

The government has structured the various interceptor

competitions with "prize pools" to incentivize rapid

development. The largest pool of $340 million would be split

among companies that successfully complete an on-orbit test,

with first place receiving $125 million and fifth place

receiving $40 million, according to the July presentation.

The ultimate prize is substantial: production contracts

worth $1.8 billion to $3.4 billion annually, according to the

July presentation. However, industry executives estimate it

could cost between $200 million and $2 billion to build and test

a single space-based interceptor prototype.

The space-based interceptor program represents a new

approach to missile defense, placing weapons in orbit to destroy

threats earlier in their flight path than current ground-based

systems allow.