US MDA selects builders for new Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel 'Golden Defender'

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is procuring a new Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel (MRIV) to replace legacy 1960s/1970s tracking ships, using a commercially managed vessel construction model and an NSMV-derived hull. While not a frontline battlefield system, it represents a new enabling naval platform for missile-defense testing/tracking and range instrumentation supporting programs like 'Golden Dome.'