6 minute read•Updated 12:17 PM EDT, Wed April 2, 2025
In a bold step toward reviving Cold War-era visions of space-based missile defense, Booz Allen Hamilton has unveiled a sweeping new concept to deploy a mega-constellation of small, AI-powered satellites capable of intercepting and destroying enemy missiles in space.
The system, called Brilliant Swarms, is designed to fulfill the Trump-era “Golden Dome” executive order—a vision for a layered, comprehensive missile shield protecting the United States from a wide spectrum of modern threats.
Unveiled on March 27 by company executives, Brilliant Swarms proposes an orbital fleet of up to 2,000 interconnected satellites operating as a fully autonomous, AI-driven defensive network. The concept promises to revolutionize space-based defense by shifting away from ground-launched missile interceptors toward kinetic, self-guided satellite interceptors that can detect, track, and physically destroy incoming threats.
“Unlike today’s ground-based, single-shot interceptors, Brilliant Swarms delivers a multi-shot capability to defeat missile launches during the boost-ascent and early mid-course phases of flight,” - Chris Bogdan, Booz Allen Executive Vice President
A New Era of Interception
Each Brilliant Swarms satellite, weighing between 40 and 80 kilograms, would serve triple functions: a communications relay, a tracking sensor, and a hit-to-kill kinetic interceptor.
Once deployed in low Earth orbit (LEO) between 300 and 600 kilometers, the satellites would act in concert; using advanced AI and machine learning to make real-time decisions and coordinate swarming attacks on missile threats.
The satellites are modeled after the Ukrainian military’s GIS Arta system; nicknamed “Uber for artillery”; which links disparate battlefield sensors and weapons into a unified, fast-reacting combat system. Booz Allen sees Brilliant Swarms as GIS Arta’s orbital cousin.
“Now imagine this capability in space...where a constellation of satellites is tracking a missile that was just launched and then autonomously, in real time, selects the most effective satellites in the constellation to swarm on the launched missile and then become hit-to-kill vehicles.” - Chris Bogdan, Booz Allen Executive Vice President
Unlike previous concepts, each satellite would carry no explosives; only using kinetic energy at high velocities to destroy targets.
Cost and Timeline
The full system, estimated to cost around $25 billion, would be significantly cheaper than the $65 billion the U.S. has already spent on ground-based missile defense systems aimed at threats from North Korea and Iran.
“This is a scalable solution...We can start with fewer satellites and build up as needed. It’s a fraction of the cost and can address threats our current systems cannot.” - Trey Obering, Senior Adviser at Booz Allen and Former Director of the Missile Defense Agency.
The system could achieve a live intercept of a cooperative orbital target within three years, with the capability to intercept multiple, uncooperative targets by the fourth year. A full constellation could be operational in five to seven years, assuming continuous funding and development.
A Swarm in the Sky
The proposed constellation would consist of 1,000 to 2,000 satellites arranged across 20 polar orbital planes, with approximately 100 satellites per plane. Each satellite’s compact size would allow mass launches; up to 100 per rocket; with launch partnerships already in place through Booz Allen Ventures’ network of commercial providers.
The system is designed to counter a broad threat landscape including:
Ballistic missiles
Hypersonic glide vehicles
Cruise missiles
Advanced aerial drones
Anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons
Brilliant Swarms satellites could even defend themselves; turning their kinetic capabilities on incoming ASAT threats.
A Modern “Star Wars”?
The concept draws inevitable comparisons to the 1980s Strategic Defense Initiative and its space-based component “Brilliant Pebbles,” which was criticized as expensive science fiction. But Bogdan argues the world has changed.
“It’s now affordable and feasible to rapidly put up thousands of small satellites in orbit,...This is not your father’s Star Wars program. This is real.” - Chris Bogdan, Booz Allen Executive Vice President
Executives insist the system is not a replacement for current Pentagon missile defense programs but a complementary layer; integrated into efforts by the Space Development Agency and Missile Defense Agency to create a modern, multi-tiered defense architecture.
“We’re not duplicating what they’re doing,...We’re extending and enhancing it.” - Chris Bogdan, Booz Allen Executive Vice President
As a technology and consulting firm, not a hardware manufacturer; Booz Allen is acting as the systems architect and integrator, bringing together launch providers, AI software, and space hardware companies to realize the vision.
“We bring the technical glue that holds this new architecture together,” - Trey Obering, Senior Adviser at Booz Allen and Former Director of the Missile Defense Agency.
The firm has not disclosed its specific manufacturing partners, but executives confirmed that several satellite and rocket startups, some backed by Booz Allen Ventures, are already in collaboration.
What Happens If It Fails?
Though the kinetic kill method avoids warhead detonation, the physical destruction of missiles or satellites in LEO raises concerns about orbital debris. Obering noted that roughly 40% of any satellite would burn up on reentry, while around 10% could potentially reach Earth as debris.
Nevertheless, Booz Allen insists the risk is minimal, and the benefits of a fully autonomous, AI-driven missile defense network far outweigh the downsides; especially given the growing sophistication of adversaries like Russia and China, whose hypersonic and multi-vector strike capabilities threaten to outpace traditional defense systems.
Looking Ahead
If Brilliant Swarms moves beyond the concept phase and garners defense funding, it could represent a paradigm shift in the militarization and protection of space.
“This is about survivability. It’s about agility. It’s about scale...And it’s finally possible.” - Chris Bogdan, Booz Allen Executive Vice President
As the U.S. government continues to define its next-generation missile defense strategy, Brilliant Swarms could play a pivotal role; not just in shaping policy, but in changing how we think about space as a battlefield.
