Armenian-American startup DeepSat has been selected as a prime contractor on a Pentagon contract pool designed to rapidly develop and deliver next-generation U.S. missile defense capabilities. DeepSat was chosen under the Missile Defense Agency’s Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, a multi-award vehicle with a total ceiling value of $151 billion.
SHIELD is a key contracting vehicle supporting the Pentagon’s “Golden Dome” missile defense effort, a major U.S. initiative focused on strengthening protection of the United States through layered, next-generation capabilities, including space-based and advanced integrated defense technologies. The effort has been compared in public discussion to Israel’s Iron Dome.
The SHIELD IDIQ contract encompasses a broad range of mission areas and is intended to enable the rapid delivery of innovative, resilient capabilities that enhance national defense and support U.S. national security objectives with increased speed and agility. As a prime contractor, DeepSat will leverage its expertise in advanced real-time space systems, in-orbit AI, and integrated defense solutions to support the Missile Defense Agency’s evolving operational needs.
SHIELD is structured as an IDIQ contract vehicle, meaning companies selected onto the program are eligible to compete for future task orders. Funding is provided through those task orders rather than being guaranteed through the base award, and there is no guaranteed revenue associated with the award of the SHIELD IDIQ contract.
“Being selected as a prime on the SHIELD IDIQ contract is a significant milestone for DeepSat. It reflects the strength of our technology, our mission-focused approach, and our commitment to delivering resilient, next-generation capabilities that protect the homeland and support our defense partners,” said Nerses Ohanyan, Co-Founder & CEO.
About DeepSat
Co-founded by Nerses Ohanyan, DeepSat is developing an advanced satellite constellation in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO), combining high revisit rates with in-orbit AI for sensor fusion. The platform enables resilient, real-time, AI-powered Earth intelligence for critical missions such as vessel detection, energy infrastructure monitoring and disaster assessment across civil, commercial and defense.
