ALAMEDA, Calif. and DETROIT, Dec. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Longshot, the defense and space technology company pioneering ground-based kinetic launch systems, announced that the Mettle Ops team — of which Longshot is a member — has been awarded a position on the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) flagship Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.
SHIELD is one of the most strategically significant contracting vehicles in national defense — a multi-award, 10-year program with a $151 billion ceiling that powers the engineering, development, prototyping, and sustainment of critical MDA systems, widely known as the Golden Dome for America. The contract supports continuous, layered protection against air, missile, space, cyber, and hybrid threats from any vector. It covers commercial and non-commercial services across classified and unclassified domains and may be used by DoD agencies with similar requirements.
“Being part of the team awarded SHIELD IDIQ gives us a platform to compete for some of the most consequential missile defense work in the country,” said Mark Bigham, VP, Defense at Longshot. “Mettle Ops brings deep engineering and fabrication expertise at exactly the moment Longshot is scaling our capabilities. This award accelerates our mission to deliver faster, more affordable hypersonic launch for the Department of Defense and strengthens our path toward becoming a major contributor to national defense.”
“We are honored to be awarded a position on SHIELD and to stand alongside an innovative company like Longshot,” said Rory McRae, Air Domain Business Development Manager, Mettle Ops. “This contract provides critical access to the Missile Defense Agency and the larger Golden Dome ecosystem. It positions both of our companies to contribute meaningful engineering, prototyping, and production expertise to some of the nation’s most important defense initiatives.”
As official SHIELD awardees, the team now has:
- Direct eligibility to bid on future Golden Dome task orders under the $151B SHIELD contract
- Access to the Missile Defense Agency, a strategic customer for hypersonics, missile defense, and advanced aerospace systems
- Visibility and collaboration opportunities with other SHIELD awardees across the defense industrial base
- A pathway for Longshot to build past performance, supporting its transition from an emerging startup to a prime defense contractor
- A strengthened joint position as the companies pursue Navy, Air Force, and Missile Defense Agency programs together
Part of Mettle Ops’ winning strategy for pursuing the SHIELD IDIQ was fostering a collaborative network of like-minded companies with both complementing and off-setting capabilities for the eventual joint pursuit of competitive Task Orders.
The FORTRESS Alliance brings together a unified team of advanced-technology leaders, anchored by Mettle Ops and strengthened by Longshot Aerospace, Innodata, Firehawk Aerospace, Velontra, Blue Ridge Networks, Edgecase Research, and Celestus. Each member contributes mission-critical capabilities—from missile-defense engineering and AI-driven data solutions to high-speed propulsion, cyber-resilient architectures, and next-generation unmanned systems. Together, this coalition forms a fortified, multi-domain enterprise positioned to deliver rapid innovation, layered defense solutions, and operational dominance in support of MDA’s SHIELD and Golden Dome missions.
About Longshot
Longshot is an emerging launch company pioneering a kinetic “space gun,” a multi-injection, ground-based accelerator designed to propel payloads to hypersonic velocities. By keeping the infrastructure on Earth, Longshot aims to unlock reliable, high-frequency access to space and expand what is possible for science, commerce, and defense. Backed by Silicon Valley venture capital and U.S. Air Force support, the company is advancing a stepwise path from hypersonic testing to scalable orbital capability.
About Mettle Ops
Mettle Ops is a woman-owned, combat-veteran defense engineering firm dedicated to developing advanced technologies that strengthen and modernize military ground systems and warfighter platforms. Through rapid prototyping, rigorous testing, and integrated sustainment solutions, the company supports high-impact programs across survivability, autonomy, power, and manufacturing. Mettle Ops is committed to bridging innovation and mission needs, working closely with government partners and trusted teammates to deliver reliable, scalable capability to the warfighter. Built on operational experience and engineering excellence, the company continues to drive forward the next generation of defense technologies.
Media Contact:
Emily Richard
Communications Strategy Group (CSG)
erichard@wearecsg.com
