Infrared sensor payloads to be provided to Space Development Agency by Leonardo DRS
NewsJanuary 28, 2026
ARLINGTON, Virginia. Leonardo DRS won a subcontract to provide Infrared Mission Payloads for the Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer Tranche 3 (TRKT3) effort supporting missile defense, the company announced in a statement.
Leonardo DRS said it will serve as the space-based mission payload provider for TRKT3 and will design, build, integrate, and test infrared payloads intended to support global detection, warning, and tracking of ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons, the statement reads. The company said the payloads are intended to provide infrared sensing from an adversary launch through interception, including data for fire-control sensing to support missile interceptors, according to the statement.
The company said the TRKT3 Infrared Mission Payload will undergo thermal vacuum and thermal balance testing in the Leonardo DRS Space Payload Lab in Cypress, California, the statement reads. Leonardo DRS described its broader work in cooled and uncooled infrared systems across ground, sea, air, and space applications, according to the statement.
