WESH TWO NEWS STARTS NOW WITH NATIONAL SECURITY TOP OF MIND AMIDST THE CONFLICT WITH IRAN, WESH 2 IS TAKING A LOOK AT CENTRAL FLORIDA’S ROLE IN A MAJOR MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM. PRESIDENT TRUMP’S GOLDEN DOME IS MEANT TO PROTECT US FROM FOREIGN THREATS. WESH TWO BREVARD COUNTY REPORTER MEGHAN MORIARTY IS LIVE THIS EVENING EXPLAINING THE LOCAL TIES. MEGAN. A PALM BAY TECH COMPANY, HAS SECURED A $800 MILLION CONTRACT TO NOT ONLY BUILD BUT ALSO TEST INFRARED SATELLITES THAT WILL ULTIMATELY BE USED TO TRACK MISSILES. THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF CONTROVERSY AROUND THIS BECAUSE OF THE LARGE PRICE TAG THAT COULD END UP BEING $1 TRILLION. HOWEVER, THERE’S A LOT THAT RIDES ON THIS AS WELL. AS GLOBAL TENSIONS RISE. CENTRAL FLORIDA COULD PLAY A KEY ROLE IN PRESIDENT TRUMP’S GOLDEN DOME MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM. TRUMP SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER LAST JANUARY DIRECTING THE MILITARY TO BUILD IT, WHICH WOULD INTERCEPT MISSILES LAUNCHED FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. EVEN SPACEX. AND YOU’RE CORRECT. IT INCLUDES THREATS THAT COME FROM LAND, AIR, SEA AND SPACE AS WELL. AND SO WE SEE THAT AS A GREAT TIE IN FOR US JUST BECAUSE OF OUR CAPABILITY SET AND THE VERY DEFENSIVE NATURE OF THE CONTRACT ITSELF AS WELL. WAYNE FOGLE IS THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR TRAINING AND SIMULATION AT UCF, AND BREAKS DOWN THE BENEFIT FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA. L3 HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES, LOCATED IN PALM BAY, WAS AWARDED A CONTRACT TO INTEGRATE AND TEST 18 INFRARED SATELLITES DESIGNED TO DETECT AND TRACK HYPERSONIC AND BALLISTIC MISSILES. WHILE THE COMPANY DECLINED TO COMMENT IN A DECEMBER PRESS RELEASE, ITS CEO SAID L3 HARRIS IS PROUD TO SUPPORT SDI IN ITS MISSION TO DELIVER A NEXT GENERATION, LAYERED DEFENSE ARCHITECTURE THAT CAN TRACK THREATS IN REAL TIME. I DO THINK THAT THE RESEARCH THAT GOES INTO THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT WORK, AND WE ARE A PART OF A LOT OF RESEARCH THAT GOES INTO IT, AND THERE’S A LOT OF EXPANSION, EXPANSIVE CAPABILITIES. SO A LOT OF THESE CONTRACTS, WHILE THEY’RE, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE THE BUMPER STICKER OF GOLDEN DOME AND SHIELD, THERE’S A LOT OF DUAL USE CAPABILITIES THAT WE’RE LOOKING TO DEVELOP AND EMPLOY. HE SAYS SOME OF THOSE DUAL USE CAPABILITIES INCLUDE AI. WE DON’T HAVE ANY SPECIFIC CONTRACT DETAILS OF HOW SPECIFICALLY AI IS GOING TO BE USED ON THIS, BUT IDENTIFICATION OF THREATS IS DEFINITELY A POTENTIAL FIRST. AND SO WHILE THIS ALSO TIES TO NATIONAL SECURITY, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE OTHER BIG BENEFITS, ONE BEING JOBS. THIS COULD BRING HUNDREDS OR DOZENS, IF NOT HUNDREDS OF ENGINEERING JOBS TO OUR AREA. IT COULD ALSO HELP FIND SOLUTIONS FOR THINGS LIKE TRAFFI

Central Florida is poised to play a key role in President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense system, with a Palm Bay tech company securing a contract to build and test infrared satellites.Wayne Fogel, deputy director for training and simulation at the University of Central Florida, said, “It includes threats that come from land, air, sea, and space as well. And so we see that as a great tie-in for us just because of our capability set and the very defensive nature of the contract itself.”L3Harris Technologies, located in Palm Bay, was awarded a contract to integrate and test 18 infrared satellites designed to detect and track hypersonic and ballistic missiles. While the company declined to comment, its CEO stated in a December press release, “L3Harris is proud to support SDA in its mission to deliver a next-generation, layered defense architecture that can track threats in real time.”Fogel emphasized the importance of the research involved, saying, “I do think that the research that goes into this is very important work, and we are a part of a lot of research that goes into it, and there are a lot of expansive capabilities. So a lot of these contracts, while you see the bumper sticker of gold dome and shield, there’s a lot of dual-use capabilities that we’re looking to develop and deploy.”He noted that some of these dual-use capabilities include artificial intelligence, adding, “We don’t have any specific contract details on how specifically AI is going to be used on this, but identification of threats is definitely a potential for this.”While the project ties into national security, it is also expected to bring more engineering jobs to the area and contribute to solutions for local issues, such as improving traffic patterns on roadways.

PALM BAY, Fla. —

Central Florida is poised to play a key role in President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense system, with a Palm Bay tech company securing a contract to build and test infrared satellites.

Wayne Fogel, deputy director for training and simulation at the University of Central Florida, said, “It includes threats that come from land, air, sea, and space as well. And so we see that as a great tie-in for us just because of our capability set and the very defensive nature of the contract itself.”

L3Harris Technologies, located in Palm Bay, was awarded a contract to integrate and test 18 infrared satellites designed to detect and track hypersonic and ballistic missiles.

While the company declined to comment, its CEO stated in a December press release, “L3Harris is proud to support SDA in its mission to deliver a next-generation, layered defense architecture that can track threats in real time.”

Fogel emphasized the importance of the research involved, saying, “I do think that the research that goes into this is very important work, and we are a part of a lot of research that goes into it, and there are a lot of expansive capabilities. So a lot of these contracts, while you see the bumper sticker of gold dome and shield, there’s a lot of dual-use capabilities that we’re looking to develop and deploy.”

He noted that some of these dual-use capabilities include artificial intelligence, adding, “We don’t have any specific contract details on how specifically AI is going to be used on this, but identification of threats is definitely a potential for this.”

While the project ties into national security, it is also expected to bring more engineering jobs to the area and contribute to solutions for local issues, such as improving traffic patterns on roadways.