---
type: source
title: "9-firm industry consortium conducts live C2 demonstration for Golden Dome — operational capability target 2028, Lockheed/RTX/Northrop join as primes"
author: "Air & Space Forces Magazine"
url: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/industry-consortium-live-c2-demo-golden-dome/
date: 2026-03-17
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: thread
status: null-result
priority: medium
tags: [Golden-Dome, C2, command-and-control, Guetlein, Lockheed-Martin, RTX, Northrop-Grumman, consortium, battle-management, 2028, orbital-compute, AI]
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

**Source:** Air & Space Forces Magazine, March 17, 2026 (McAleese Defense Programs Conference coverage)

**The demonstration:**
A consortium of nine defense firms building the command-and-control (C2) layer for Golden Dome conducted a live demonstration. Speaking at the McAleese Defense Programs Conference, Golden Dome director Gen. Michael Guetlein said the demo proved C2 network is "comparable" to legacy Missile Defense Agency and Army capabilities.

**Consortium composition:**
- Started as a self-formed group of six firms
- Lockheed Martin, RTX (Raytheon), and Northrop Grumman recently joined as prime partners
- Now nine total prime vendors
- Separate archive: Lockheed Martin has opened a C2 prototyping hub specifically for Golden Dome

**Timeline:**
- Demo conducted (date not specified, likely February-March 2026)
- Goal: demonstrate C2 capability "this summer" (Summer 2026) — interim milestone
- Integration of interceptors into C2 architecture: Summer 2027
- Full operational capability: 2028

**Guetlein's two-year plan priorities:**
1. Establish baseline C2 capability (top priority)
2. Integrate interceptors into the C2 architecture
- "AI and autonomy are going to play a larger role, which will change how we deploy and use our weapons"

**Golden Dome program updates (same event):**
- Guetlein announced $10B plus-up to total cost (→ $185B)
- Extra funding targets: AMTI (airborne moving target indicator), HBTSS (hypersonic and ballistic tracking space sensor), Space Data Network
- The $10B is for sensing/tracking layers; orbital compute is part of C2 but not specifically funded in this announcement

**ODC connection:**
- Golden Dome vision includes "automated command and control through a cross-domain artificial intelligence-enabled network"
- On-orbit compute described as necessary for C2 latency requirements (Space Command's O'Brien statement from previous archive)
- The C2 consortium is building the ground/cloud layer first; orbital compute is the future architectural requirement

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** The C2 demo proves that Golden Dome has moved from concept to active development. The 9-firm consortium conducting live demos in March 2026 with Lockheed/RTX/Northrop as primes is procurement activity — these firms don't form consortia for live demos without contracts or at least intent to contract. However, this is terrestrial/cloud C2 architecture being demonstrated, not orbital compute. Orbital compute remains the "next layer" requirement that O'Brien has stated is necessary but hasn't been contracted.

**What surprised me:** Lockheed Martin, RTX, and Northrop Grumman joining the consortium LATE (it started with 6 firms) suggests the large traditional primes were initially skeptical or occupied with other programs, then saw the Golden Dome commitment become credible and joined. The joining of traditional primes validates that Golden Dome is real procurement intent, not just a budget line item.

**What I expected but didn't find:** Specific mention of orbital compute procurement within the C2 consortium. The demo was for ground/cloud C2 architecture. The "I can't see it without it" requirement for orbital compute (O'Brien) remains an architectural aspiration, not a C2 contract element. The terrestrial C2 layer is being contracted NOW; the orbital compute layer is still in the "requirement definition" phase.

**KB connections:**
- [[defense spending is the new catalyst for space investment with US Space Force budget jumping 39 percent in one year to 40 billion]] — 9-firm C2 consortium with traditional primes is the largest documented defense contracting activity specifically for Golden Dome to date
- [[governments are transitioning from space system builders to space service buyers which structurally advantages nimble commercial providers]] — The consortium model (industry-led, self-formed) represents a different government-commercial relationship than traditional defense acquisition

**Extraction hints:**
1. "A self-formed nine-firm industry consortium (including Lockheed Martin, RTX, and Northrop Grumman) conducted a live C2 demonstration for the Pentagon's Golden Dome program in Q1 2026 — providing the first evidence that Golden Dome C2 has transitioned from requirement definition to active prototyping, with operational capability targeted for 2028" (confidence: likely — demonstration confirmed by Gen. Guetlein at public conference; 2028 target is program official's stated goal)
2. Note for extractor: C2 layer is TERRESTRIAL/CLOUD for now; orbital compute is NOT yet in the C2 consortium's scope. Don't conflate terrestrial C2 demo with orbital compute procurement.

**Context:** Gen. Michael Guetlein is the official Golden Dome "czar" — his statements at McAleese are authoritative program statements, not advocacy. McAleese Defense Programs Conference is a venue where officials discuss program status, not sales pitches.

## Curator Notes
PRIMARY CONNECTION: [[defense spending is the new catalyst for space investment with US Space Force budget jumping 39 percent in one year to 40 billion]]
WHY ARCHIVED: Marks Golden Dome C2 layer transitioning to active prototyping. The 9-firm consortium with traditional primes is the most concrete evidence of actual Golden Dome procurement activity to date (beyond SHIELD IDIQ pre-qualification). Helps calibrate Pattern 12 Gate classification — C2 is at prototype stage; orbital compute remains requirement-definition stage.
EXTRACTION HINT: Focus on the transition from requirement to prototype as the key claim. Extract the Gap: C2 terrestrial layer is being prototyped (likely confidence); orbital compute layer is still being defined (experimental confidence). The gap is important for pattern analysis.
