Taylor Brooks
U.S. Space Force innovation arm SpaceWERX has selected LeoLabs for a Tactical Fund Increase, or TACFI, opportunity worth $4 million to enhance the ability of its Scout expeditionary radar to perform space domain awareness missions.
TACFI Opportunity Requirements
LeoLabs said Monday that the TACFI calls for the development and deployment of a software upgrade that will work to improve the Scout radar’s foreign launch detection and tracking capabilities. The TACFI also calls for the formulation of a plan to develop software that will enable the radar to perform track-while-scan operations against missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles and other maneuverable objects.
Scout Expeditionary Radar
Scout is a containerized S-band Direct Radiating Array radar system designed for rapid deployment. The company launched the radar in April and said during that same month that up to five units would be built within the year amid keen interest from the Department of Defense.
STRATFI Award for Indo-Pacific Radar
The TACFI opportunity comes on the heels of a $60 million Strategic Fund Increase, or STRATFI, issued in March also by SpaceWERX. The STRATFI opportunity called for the construction of an ultra-high frequency radar system within the Indo-Pacific region. As of the STRATFI’s awarding, the site of the radar had yet to be determined, though the system is expected to be up and running by January 2027.
Remarks by LeoLabs’ Tony Frazier
Commenting on these awards, LeoLabs CEO and six-time Wash100 Award winner Tony Frazier said, “Being selected for both a TACFI and a STRATFI within a short timeframe is a powerful vote of confidence in LeoLabs’ ability to deliver persistent orbital intelligence for the U.S., its allies and partners.”
