LeoLabs' new Scout-S fits in a standardized 20-foot container for easy deployment. (Photo: LeoLabs)
WASHINGTON ― Space monitoring firm LeoLabs today announced that its newest space tracking radar is now operational, with a first unit set to participate in the US military’s multi-service, multinational Valiant Shield exercise in the Pacific.
“Our first fielded instance Scout-S system, Scout Hawaii, became operational in June 2026,” a LeoLabs spokesperson told Breaking Defense. “Scout Hawaii will participate in experimentation activities during U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Valiant Shield 2026 exercise and is supporting LeoLabs’ broader efforts to evaluate transportable, 3D search sensing capabilities for the broader Scout family in operationally relevant environments.”
Valiant Shield is a biennial US joint force exercise in the Indo-Pacific theater that since 2024 has included regional allies. This year’s exercise will be held June 22-July 1 in, and in the waters around, Hawaii, Guam and Japan.
While the company is not disclosing the details of the contract, the spokesperson said that the new, “transportable” radar was developed via a “combination of private investment” and US Space Force support, including via a Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) award announced in 2025.
