MDA grants Long Wall $75M to flight-test low-cost interceptor
What's the deal? The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded California-based startup Long Wall $75 million to complete flight testing of its Cyclops midcourse defense interceptor, the company said Thursday. The grant funds the final step before the system can move toward deployment.
What's the endgame? Long Wall is building Cyclops as a surface-launched, mass-producible exo-atmospheric interceptor. It began developing the system in 2024 and first announced it in late 2025, pitching low cost and flexible launch locations as its edge.
Why now? The company designed Cyclops to reduce limits on where it can be fired, giving the military more flexibility. The MDA funding backs that goal by paying for the flight tests needed to validate it.
The signal: At $75 million, the grant ranks in the top 1% of government grants to US space companies over the past four years, based on 111 comparable rounds. That scale signals rising government appetite for cheaper, scalable missile defense.
Read more: defensedaily.com
Image credit: Long Wall
