Space Force Shifts Strategy for Aircraft-Tracking Sats
The United States Space Force is preparing a significant shift in its satellite acquisition strategy, aiming to harness a wider competitive market for a planned constellation of aircraft-tracking satellites. According to a recent article published by Breaking Defense titled “AMTI ASAP: Space Force Readying Multi-Source Acquisition For Satellites To Track Aircraft,” the service intends to open bidding beyond the current contractor, forging a new model that integrates multiple providers for future tracking capabilities.
Currently, the Department of the Air Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA) is spearheading efforts to establish the Advanced Missile Tracking and Identification (AMTI) system. However, amid rising threats and the evolving pace of global aerial activities, the Space Force aims to accelerate development and deployment of sensors capable of detecting non-missile air targets — including potentially adversarial aircraft.
This new approach pivots away from a model of consolidating large contracts under single prime integrators. Instead, the Space Force is exploring what it calls a “multi-source acquisition strategy,” where various providers contribute hardware, software, and integration services across a modular satellite architecture. This strategic realignment is not merely a cost-saving measure; it directly aligns with military leaders’ growing desire for redundancy, speed, and adaptability in space-based national defense systems.
Citing officials familiar with the planning, Breaking Defense reports that ongoing market research will help define requirements and shape contracting decisions over the next several months. The intent is to begin procurement by early 2026, following a formal request for proposals issued in late 2025. Multiple industry days, tech demonstrations, and preliminary design contracts are expected to precede any final awards.
The urgency of the effort stems from a recognition that an increasingly sophisticated array of airborne threats — from advanced fighters to hypersonic cruise missiles — demands persistent, global awareness. While the U.S. maintains formidable radar and terrestrial tracking systems, these ground-based assets suffer from coverage limitations and latency issues when tracking high-speed maneuvering aircraft. Overhead sensors in low-Earth orbit could bridge that gap by offering near-real-time detection and cueing data to broader defense systems.
The broader strategic implications of the AMTI effort remain under evaluation. One question is whether such a system would primarily serve the Air Force or feed into integrated joint force operations through the Department of Defense’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) architecture, a digital backbone designed to share sensor information across land, air, sea, space, and cyber domains.
Though the timetable for the inaugural satellite launch under this new architecture remains undisclosed, officials suggest that prototypes or initial capability demonstrations could occur within the next few years, dependent on congressional funding and technical viability.
Industry observers note that the willingness to diversify vendors and exploit commercial innovations reflects a maturing philosophy within the Department of Defense. Agencies such as the SDA and organizations aligned with the Space Force have increasingly embraced faster, risk-tolerant development models that welcome commercial technologies and smaller firms alongside traditional defense contractors.
As the Space Force navigates both bureaucracy and geostrategic urgency, execution will remain its greatest challenge. The success of the proposed AMTI constellation — both in acquisition and operational performance — will likely become a test case for the future of distributed procurement practices in space defense.
