{"id":120390,"date":"2026-03-12T09:20:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T12:20:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/898938689"},"modified":"2026-03-12T09:20:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T12:20:46","slug":"four-louisiana-tech-partners-get-missile-defense-agency-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/03\/12\/four-louisiana-tech-partners-get-missile-defense-agency-contracts\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Louisiana Tech partners get Missile Defense Agency contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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RUSTON, LA — Four partners within Louisiana Tech\u2019s Innovation Enterprise \u2014 Archem, BetaFlix, Small Business Consulting Corporation (SBCC), and Stephenson Stellar Corporation \u2014 were awarded contracts for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) indefinite-delivery\/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) program.<\/p>\n

With a ceiling of $151 billion, the SHIELD IDIQ contract vehicle positions the companies to compete for and access funding to execute mission-critical projects that advance U.S. missile defense capabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re incredibly proud and excited for our Innovation Enterprise partners and the momentum these IDIQ contracts bring to the future of defense technology in our region and beyond,\u201d said Louisiana Tech\u2019s Chief Innovation Officer Dr. Donna Gallacher. \u201cThis achievement reflects the unity and strength of North Louisiana\u2019s defense and technology sectors.\u201d<\/p>\n

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MDA\u2019s SHIELD IDIQ enables the acquisition of services that support developing, testing, fielding, and sustaining the U.S. missile defense system through a flexible contracting mechanism. Its scope covers 19 technical and engineering activities designed to support missile defense or related applications, including cybersecurity, research and development, IT, and more. For the selected Innovation Enterprise partners, the IDIQ program aligns with their collaborative research and technology development efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetaFlix is honored by the confidence demonstrated through the award of an IDIQ contract. Our team has deep experience in digital engineering and AI systems integration \u2014 areas that are critical to modern defense solutions,\u201d said Dr. Sree Sanakam, BetaFlix\u2019s chief operating officer. \u201cWhat really energizes us is our partnership with Louisiana Tech, as the university brings incredible strength in research and development on digital engineering\/transformation technologies, education, and innovative teaching methods. When you put these together, you get something special: true collaboration that can tackle everything from AI hardware and software integration to preparing the next generation of technological talent, strategic thinkers, and problem-solvers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recognition of multiple Innovation Enterprise partners among the awardees reinforces Louisiana Tech as a growing innovation hub and reflects the caliber of companies collaborating with the University. These awards also highlight the depth, reach, and impact of applied research and industry engagement facilitated by the Innovation Enterprise.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe SHIELD IDIQ award is a powerful validation of the innovation ecosystem being built in North Louisiana,\u201d said Alex Burke, CEO of Archem, LLC. \u201cThrough our partnership with Louisiana Tech\u2019s Innovation Enterprise, we\u2019ve been able to grow our workforce, develop high-impact capabilities, and position Archem to contribute to national defense while creating meaningful economic opportunity in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Innovation Enterprise also plays a critical role in strengthening the talent pipeline for these partner organizations. Through internships and experiential learning opportunities, students work directly with companies engaged in national security-focused projects. Archem, BetaFlix, and SBCC have employed 15 Louisiana Tech student interns this academic year, while Stephenson Stellar Corporation, a nonprofit research and development organization focused on assuring the U.S. remains a global leader in the space domain, recently partnered with the Innovation Enterprise to support talent development through the Department of Defense\u2019s SkillBridge program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe partnership between Louisiana Tech University\u2019s Innovation Enterprise and Stephenson Stellar Corporation reflects the power of aligning academic excellence with mission-focused capabilities to advance our nation\u2019s security priorities,\u201d said Jamie O\u2019Quinn, Stephenson Stellar\u2019s Shreveport site lead and program manager. \u201cStellar\u2019s selection for the MDA SHIELD IDIQ underscores how this collaboration has significant potential to accelerate defense-ready talent, research, and technical capabilities in North Louisiana and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

These hands-on experiences provide meaningful real-world exposure for students and faculty, strengthening retention and academic engagement across campus. Through these partnerships, students gain access to work tied to global defense efforts and faculty collaborate with companies on applied research to accelerate growth and support development needs.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re honored to be selected as part of the MDA\u2019s SHIELD program as we contribute to this national effort. SHIELD\u2019s focus on rapid innovation, digital engineering, and AI enabled solutions aligns directly with our commitment to accelerate capability delivery for the Air Force and joint force,\u201d said Tom Wilcox, retired USAF Major General and SBCC\u2019s CEO. \u201cThrough this contract vehicle, we will help advance research, prototyping, and mission focused technologies that strengthen decision advantage, enhance system integration, and improve readiness across the Air Force enterprise. Louisiana Tech\u2019s Innovation Enterprise has been essential to our growth as a company, and we look forward to the exponential benefits in our continued partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n

The SHIELD contract vehicle will run through December 2035, enabling the MDA to leverage qualified industry partners across a broad range of areas to allow for the rapid delivery of innovative capabilities and positioning Louisiana Tech\u2019s partners to play a sustained role in advancing national defense.<\/p>\n

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… technology<\/span> in our region and beyond,\u00e2\u0080\u009d said Louisiana Tech<\/span> … Louisiana\u00e2\u0080\u0099s defense and technology<\/span> sectors.\u00e2\u0080\u009d MDA\u00e2\u0080\u0099s … collaborative research and technology<\/span> development efforts. \u00e2\u0080\u009cBetaFlix … partnership between Louisiana Tech<\/span> University\u00e2\u0080\u0099s Innovation …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120390\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}