The golden dome may not be the golden tickets that the Silicon Valley hopes

Golden Dome, the Trump administration maneuvering to build a missile defense system from the next generation, has a long -time startup and defense contractors who have been preparing for a contract of $ 151 billion.

The qualification process for the contractual car is accommodated at a value of $ 151 billion, which is an umbrella program mainly against most startups – not because of its technology. Instead, smaller companies may be thwarted through a multi -layered bureaucratic process used to ensure that the company can meet safety and other compliance requirements.

Ultimately, the golden dome may not be the emerging bile technology battle against job occupants. The startups that make a breakthrough will be those that can persuade the largest defense articles to take as subcontractors.

The Pentagon missile defense agency was issued last week The seam project For a $ 151 billion contract, a multi -awarded, a prelude to the purchase of defense technology coming from the government.

The contract works for 10 years, which is called SHIELD, or Defeense Enterprise Bearned Enterrise Defense, as an umbrella that will be used to purchase technology for the golden dome system. This program, which resembles the White House of Iron Iron, will include systems that extend to space, land and sea to protect the continental United States from a variety of missile threats.

In order to build this system, the government will look forward to buying a set of advanced technology, such as space -based intersections, ground radars, and sea -based terrestrial systems capable of getting an enemy missile during the trip. The first obstacle to companies that hope to win one of the contracts is to qualify for the umbrella or car program.

Getting a vehicle worth $ 151 billion does not guarantee federal dollars; Instead, companies will compete for the contracting work orders. The final request for proposals will be issued at some point in the fourth quarter of this year, though This did not prevent companies from starting pressure efforts.

Price Dabs, CEO of FIRM FORM Consulting Company, told TECHCRUNCH that he is estimated at 5 % and 10 % of the bowl realistically to unconventional sellers-not through startups that compete as a major contractor, but rather through “cooperation and intercourse arrangements”, noting that all companies are not equal. For example, Spacex and Anduril, despite their support from investment capital, are on the scale of small priority, and the opportunity of smaller starters is likely to look largely different.

A convincing technology startup will need to cooperate with a defense prime, such as Northrop Grumman or Lockheed, to provide the ability that Prime is currently not currently provided at home.

This is because many companies in the early stage lack the permits of facilities, employees, information technology security, or other requirements to perform very secret government work-and pre-assembly warned that these barriers that prevent entry will be present for potential suppliers.

Project -backed companies such as Anduril and Spacex will be able to meet these safety and compliance requirements, but it is likely that everyone will need the branch under Prime to compete.

Dabbs said that his company sees more of the founders of the early stage indicating the golden dome on their floors, and that the program is referred to frequently when VCS calms down on supporting the approach of startups. But investors “may not fully understand how government purchases or larger contracts work.”

Meanwhile, the most mature and rich startups such as Spacex and Anduil are better preparing to compete with old defense contractors, such as RTX (formerly Raytheon), Kutheid Martin, Boeing and L3HARRIS.

Reuters mentioned Earlier this year, a team consisting of Spacex, Palantir and Anduril began to meet with federal officials. Meanwhile, Lockheed launched the “Golden Dome of America” page on its website that highlights how to contribute to this effort.

Far, not fair

William Greenwalt, an older colleague at the American Projects Institute and a former deputy ministry of defense at the Ministry of Defense, was less optimistic. He said: “I am not drowned on unknown horizons to gain anything at all from this.”

This is because of the contract structure, which is operated under the Federal Record (FAR) and competition in the CICA.

Although far -fly is “full and open competition”, high compliance criteria in the path implicitly keep the new arrivals. Instead, Greenwalt said the program should be done as the authority of other transactions (OTA), which gives DOD more flexibility to work with unconventional sellers and initial financing models with follow -up production opportunities.

He said: “The Cica IDIQ contract revolves around the most mysterious way to do this if you want to innovate, as it will prevent bid specialists.

Trump has appointed General Michael Getlin, the second in the leadership of the American space force, to lead the initiative. He will be responsible for putting the finishing touches on the final architecture of the program, which the White House wants to place in just three years. This schedule prefers ready -made publishing techniques now, and is still placed in research and development laboratories.

He said in May: “The golden dome is a bold and aggressive approach to accelerate and protect the country from our opponents.”