Photo By Senior Airman Natalie Jones | U.S. Air Force Capt. Jackie Houlton and 1st Lt. Whitney Smith, KC-135 pilots assigned...... read more read more
Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) has awarded a landmark $602.9 million, five-year firm fixed-price long-term contract to Raytheon of El Segundo, California, combining both spare parts and repair support for the F/A-18 APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system.
The award – the first combined spares and repair agreement of this magnitude for the AESA radar – secures predictable pricing and streamlined ordering for the next five years, strengthening fleet readiness and cutting future delays when parts or repairs are needed.
“The acquisition required extensive collaboration across the integrated weapon system team, contracting and legal advisors, Navy Price Fighters, Defense Contract Audit Agency, Defense Contract Management Agency, and Raytheon engineers,” said Erin Dolan, NAVSUP WSS fixed-wing contracting officer. Dolan credited the success to breaking the challenge into smaller, data-driven negotiations.
“A key lesson was turning a behemoth of a mountain into manageable molehills,” Dolan said. “Each smaller agreement built momentum until we reached the final handshake.”
By consolidating spares and repairs, the Navy will benefit from improved pricing leverage, faster turnaround on backorders, and a stronger industry partnership supporting evolving warfighter needs.
“This landmark $602.9 million contract ensures uninterrupted radar readiness for the F/A-18 fleet, delivering a major boost to the warfighter,” said Lt. Cmdr. Faithann Hawkins, NAVSUP WSS director of fixed-wing contracts. “Erin’s expert leadership and mastery of a highly complex contracting process made this achievement possible.”
According to Sarah Hartman, Deputy Director, Fixed Wing Contracts, “Ms. Dolan’s dedication and commitment to negotiate and award this groundbreaking contract on a compressed timeline was unparalleled. The five-year firm fixed-price contract synergizes spares and repairs for optimum sustainment of the F/A-18 APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar system.”
For Dolan and her team, the contract is more than numbers on a spreadsheet.
“In contracting, it’s easy to feel removed from the flight line,” she said. “But knowing this effort directly supports our aviators and keeps them mission ready is extremely fulfilling.”
NAVSUP WSS provides global supply and sustainment support for nearly 300 ships, 92 submarines and 3,700 aircraft. Achievements like this contract show how its civilian acquisition professionals deliver both value to the taxpayer and capability to the warfighter.
| Date Taken: | 10.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 10.22.2025 09:13 |
| Story ID: | 550293 |
| Location: | PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 122 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Landmark $602.9M Contract Boosts F/A-18 Radar Readiness, Delivering Critical Support to Warfighters, by alexzander johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
