Defense industry officials say integrating sensor data remains major challenge for missile defense

Senior defense industry officials say bureaucratic barriers, not technological challenges, are standing in the way of a fully integrated missile defense system.

Leaders from L3Harris, Northrop Grumman and Slingshot Aerospace told a room of dozens of defense industry insiders this week at the annual SATShow Week aerospace conference in Washington that existential threats facing the U.S., in the form of next-generation weapons systems, require fully integrated sensor networks to achieve reliable and timely results.

“It is not a technology problem that we’re facing right now. I do think integration is probably the largest challenge,” said Paul Wloszek, vice president of L3Harris’s Spectral Solutions Division. “For a fusion engine to take all that information and output an answer in, I’ll say, seconds, because of the speed at which these decisions have to move, we all speak the same language.”

The threat of next-generation hypersonic missiles became a focal point of the discussion, with officials drawing sharp contrasts between the independent, outdated Cold War-era missile warning systems and modern requirements.

Typical ballistic missiles follow a relatively predictable arc once fired: up into space and back down to the target. But hypersonic missiles add maneuverability to the equation, making it difficult for even the most advanced sensors to maintain an up-to-date picture of the threat.

These missiles also travel at high speeds — some reaching over 16,000 mph — and fly at relatively low altitudes, compared to traditional ballistic missiles.

The shift to hypersonics requires the development of 3D “track processors,” which could tell missile defense operators not only where a missile was fired but also its altitude, speed and predicted position at any given time, the officials said.

“Take a single, space-based infrared sensor: It’s going to produce a two-dimensional track for you. But what the fire control effectors need is a 3D track with high precision so it can get them close enough within their catch basket,” said Devin Elder, senior director of communications and networking strategy at Northrop Grumman’s Strategic Space Systems.

But that 3D track is only possible with full data integration from sensors across satellites and ground stations operated by the federal government. Those stations are intended for intelligence gathering and are overseen by intelligence committees in Congress.

Sharing that data with defense agencies such as the Missile Defense Agency or the Space Force is not a simple process, often requiring lengthy approvals that would make a rapid response to a missile threat impossible.

Additionally, even if intelligence agencies were able to quickly share raw sensor data with the relevant defense authorities to combat a hypersonic threat, the data may be outdated or in an incompatible format.

“Imagine trying to conduct an orchestra over Zoom. It is incredibly difficult to try to get everyone playing at the exact same time — especially if maybe a couple of your instruments have signed in on Teams or FaceTime instead of the right platform,” said Robin Dickey, director of policy and government affairs at Slingshot Aerospace.

The issue of data integration across defense and intelligence agencies is just one of the major obstacles President Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative faces. The multilayered missile defense system, announced via executive order in January 2025, will need to deploy thousands of space and ground-based sensors.