On Monday, February 9, 2026, the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Rafael Systems Global Sustainment LLC (RSGS), had been selected for the first phase of the competition to provide a second interceptor missile type for the new Enduring Shield air defense launchers under the Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2-Intercept (IFPC Inc 2-I) – Second Interceptor program for the United States Army.
Photo: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
“We are honored to have been selected for this critical phase of IFPC Inc 2,” said retired Col. Joe Anderson, CEO of Rafael Systems Global Sustainment LLC. “This selection reflects the United States Army’s confidence in our capabilities and our commitment to delivering advanced, reliable solutions to protect American soldiers.”
RSGS will now work closely with the PEO SHIELD (Short & Intermediate Effectors for Layered Defense) Program Executive Office to adapt and refine proven technologies derived from Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, originally designed and manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
Advanced modeling and simulation will be used to update the legacy interceptor design and demonstrate its effectiveness against current and emerging threats. International cooperation remains key to these efforts. In 2025, Rafael strengthened its U.S. industrial partnerships by signing a 1.25 billion USD contract with Israel to accelerate serial production of Iron Dome interceptors, namely the Tamir and its U.S. variant, SkyHunter, in Camden, Arkansas. This investment underscores Israel’s commitment to cooperation with the United States in modernizing and diversifying air and missile defense production infrastructure.
The proposed interceptor will feature a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) and Weapon Open Systems Architecture (WOSA).
RSGS brings extensive experience in systems sustainment, integration, and advanced missile technologies. Combined with the proven capabilities and operational experience of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the RSGS team is uniquely positioned to rapidly enter the IFPC Inc 2 program with validated air and missile defense capabilities.
It is worth noting that Rafael is not the only bidder to advance to this stage of the program. Lockheed Martin, in partnership with AeroVironment Inc., received a contract in October 2025 to develop a prototype interceptor. Similarly, in December 2025, Boeing, in partnership with Anduril Rocket Motor Systems, advanced with its own proposal. The prototypes are scheduled for testing in 2026.
It should also be recalled that on July 30, 2024, during a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, Brig. Gen. Frank Lozano, Executive Officer of the PEO Missiles and Space office in the U.S. Army, spoke about the search for suppliers of miniaturized components to develop a smaller, high-performance air defense missile for the new Enduring Shield launchers.
Plans to procure a new interceptor type were first announced on January 25, 2024, when the U.S. Army Department published a Request for Information (RFI) on the SAM (System for Award Management) platform for an air defense missile codenamed SHIELD — a name later adopted by the program office.
The primary interceptor for the Enduring Shield system is expected to be the AIM-9X Sidewinder. In the second phase of the launcher competition, Dynetics was selected, developing a system based on the previously tested MML (Multi-Mission Launcher).
The IFPC Inc 2-I air defense system will be integrated into the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), with the primary sensor being the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel A3/A4 radar featuring an active electronically scanned array (AESA). Plans call for the procurement of up to 400 launchers.