*

Pentagon seeks info on space-based interceptors for

missile

defense

*

Industry engagement to discuss space-based interceptors

starts

April 30

*

Russia condemns US missile defense shield as threat to

nuclear

balance

(Adds details, background, comment by expert in paragraphs

3-11)

By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON, April 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. is asking

defense contractors for information on space-based interceptors

to knock out incoming missile threats, as the Pentagon explores

President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defense shield.

The idea of strapping rocket launchers, or lasers, to

satellites so they can shoot down enemy intercontinental

ballistic missiles as they lift off is not new - it was part of

the Star Wars initiative devised during the presidency of Ronald

Reagan. But it represents a huge and expensive technological

leap from current capabilities.

The notice, published on Friday, is the first alert to

industry that the Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Space Force

are holding a series of meetings to discuss space-based

interceptors.

In the notice, they ask companies to provide specific

information on actual or conceptual "space-based interceptors"

that would knock out ICBMs during the "boost phase" - the slow

and predictable climb through the Earth's atmosphere. Current

defenses target enemy missiles while they travel through space.

The Pentagon said it is also interested in concepts capable

of "post-boost, early midcourse, or midcourse intercept that

show a path to boost-phase intercept, including kinetic and

non-kinetic effectors, sensors/seekers, and fire control

solutions."

"This notification would seem to confirm the near likelihood

that both space sensors and space-based interceptors will be a

key component of Golden Dome's forthcoming architectural plans,

which will probably emerge in the coming weeks," said Tom

Karako, a weapons and security expert at the Center for

Strategic and International Studies.

The MDA has established multiple delivery timelines for

Golden Dome, with the earliest capabilities expected by December

31, 2026, and additional capabilities phased through 2030 and

beyond.

The industry engagement will be held in Alabama over

multiple days from April 30 to May 2. It comes amid growing

concerns about advanced missile threats from Russia and China,

as well as regional powers such as North Korea and Iran.

Hypersonic weapons, which can maneuver at speeds exceeding Mach

5, pose particular challenges to existing ground- and sea-based

interceptor systems that target enemy missiles during the

portion of their flight path when they have the greatest

maneuverability and can most effectively evade missile defenses.

Industry representatives from major defense contractors

including Lockheed Martin ( LMT ), Northrop Grumman ( NOC ), and

RTX Corp ( RTX ), formerly Raytheon, as well as newer

contractors such as Elon Musk's SpaceX, software firm Palantir ( PLTR )

and drone maker Anduril, are expected to submit

proposals outlining technological approaches and deployment

strategies for space-based interceptor systems, sensors or

control systems.

Russia condemned a January executive order by Trump to build

a new missile defense shield, accusing the United States of

trying to upset the global nuclear balance and pave the way for

military confrontation in space.