Long Wall Cyclops: The $75 Million MDA Award and Midcourse Interceptor Profile

What the MDA Awarded Long Wall for Cyclops

The Missile Defense Agency awarded Long Wall $75 million on 22 October 2026 to complete flight testing for the Cyclops low-cost midcourse interceptor. Long Wall announced that it will match that funding by investing $75 million of its own capital, described by the company as private expense, over the contract period of performance. The award is to complete flight testing.

Breaking Defense does not give the contract's duration. Long Wall referred the question of contract duration to the Missile Defense Agency, which did not respond prior to publication. No production order has been published.

Long Wall began developing Cyclops in 2024 and officially announced the program in December 2025. Dan Piemont, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Long Wall, stated that the company spent two years investing its own capital in designing and testing Cyclops in response to escalating global threats. See how defense procurement works for how awards like this fit in.

What the Cyclops Interceptor Is Designed to Do

Cyclops is a surface-launched, liquid-fueled interceptor built to strike enemy missiles midway through their flight. Long Wall describes Cyclops as a clean-sheet design that deploys an exo-atmospheric kill vehicle at high velocity. The system is designed to launch from ground positions or sea-based platforms.

According to Breaking Defense, the interceptor reportedly fits in a shipping container, and Long Wall has its own containerized launcher. Long Wall also states that Cyclops is engineered for compatibility with existing land and sea-based launchers. Reporting from Tectonic Defense notes that the missile most closely resembles the Navy's SM-3 and could integrate into existing launch hardware.

According to Dan Piemont, Cyclops is positioned at the upper end of the range spectrum for interceptors in the United States arsenal. Piemont stated that the system provides reach relevant for theater and continental defense, not just point defense.

He stated that Cyclops is engineered to handle high closing velocity engagements and overcome certain countermeasures when engaging targets ranging from medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and hypersonic glide vehicles.

Where Midcourse Sits in the Flight of a Missile

The midcourse phase is the middle of a missile's flight, after launch and before reentry, which is where Cyclops is designed to strike.

Breaking Defense reports that the Missile Defense Agency is also exploring low-cost options for intercepting missiles after they reenter the atmosphere and get closer to their targets.

The Cost Problem Long Wall Claims to Solve

Dan Piemont stated that demand for interceptors has surged, while low production capacity and high unit costs remain major challenges to replenishing expanded magazine depth. Long Wall positions Cyclops as a lower-cost alternative capable of being mass-produced in volume.

Tectonic Defense reported that the Navy's SM-3 can cost up to about $30 million each, while Long Wall claims Cyclops can be manufactured at a fraction of that figure. Long Wall has not published an actual unit price, target price, or cost floor for the Cyclops airframe.

Piemont said the US "used a material fraction of the interceptors in this class that have been procured all-time" in its 12-day war against Iran; Tectonic Defense cites estimates of about 80 SM-3s and about 150 THAADs fired. See cost per intercept for why interceptor unit cost matters.

How Long Wall Plans to Mass-Produce Cyclops

Long Wall says it can produce over one hundred Cyclops rounds per year in existing facilities, according to Tectonic Defense. Breaking Defense reports it relies largely on commercial off-the-shelf components and 3D printing in production. Long Wall called Cyclops the first exo-atmospheric interceptor designed to be mass produced when unveiling it in December 2025.

Long Wall operates three primary facilities covering more than 180,000 square feet and 100 acres. Its locations are Long Beach, El Segundo, and Mojave, California, and Kodiak, Alaska. Long Wall says the three facilities provide vertically integrated development, testing, and manufacturing capability.

Harry O'Hanley stated that there has never been a better time to make a mass-producible interceptor in this class. Long Wall describes its products as the Cyclops interceptor, containerized launchers and deployable targets.

From ABL Space Systems to Long Wall

Long Wall was established in February 2025 through a corporate rebranding of launch vehicle startup ABL Space Systems. Dan Piemont and Harry O'Hanley, both former SpaceX employees, originally founded ABL Space Systems in 2017 to build commercial small-satellite launch rockets.

ABL Space Systems had technical failures and delayed launches in 2023 and 2024. It pivoted to missile defense and hypersonic technology. Tectonic Defense reported that Long Wall declined to say whether it had received contracts for these interceptors.

No flight-test or intercept record for Cyclops has been published. See defense startups for other venture-backed defense companies.

How Cyclops Compares With Other Programs

The Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) currently deployed is built by Northrop Grumman; like Cyclops, it is a midcourse interceptor. See the company profile.

In August, MDA awarded X-Bow Systems almost $11 million to flight test its solid-fuel low-cost interceptor, presented by Breaking Defense as a potential alternative to the Army's Patriot missiles. Cyclops is liquid-fueled, while X-Bow's interceptor is solid-fuel. See Golden Dome stocks for the wider missile-defense program. The counter-UAS guide covers the counter-drone layer, which faces the same cost-per-shot problem.

What Long Wall Has Not Published

Long Wall has not released standard technical specifications, performance envelopes, or pricing data for the Cyclops interceptor. Long Wall publishes no figure for maximum range, peak velocity, operational altitude ceiling, total airframe mass, or physical dimensions beyond the report that it fits in a shipping container.

No flight-test date, test result or intercept outcome has been published. The duration of the $75 million testing award, the official contract identification number, and the projected flight schedule have not been made public.

To evaluate upcoming program milestones, read the announcement on Long Wall's news release and monitor the Missile Defense Agency for official testing dates.