By Michael Chambers
PICATINNY ARSENAL, NJ – Army Contracting Command – New Jersey has awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract valued at over $300 million to Chemring US to produce aviation expendable pyrophoric countermeasures, which create an infrared decoy signature to protect aircraft against heat-seeking missiles.These critical defense assets will support the survivability of aviation platforms across the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Special Operations Command, and allied nations through Foreign Military Sales.
In addition to securing critical supply chains, the contract includes provisions to reopen and execute three years of production at the Alloy Surfaces Company facility in Chester, PA, which was closed in 2025. The agreement also details the historic transfer of key Intellectual Property to the United States Government to safeguard future production capabilities.
“Pyrophoric countermeasures are critical for the safe and effective performance of our warfighters. The investments we are making today will secure our supply chain for these critical items, and set the stage for future manufacturing innovation,” said the Honorable Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy.
Crucially, the contract is backstopped by a three-year Defense Production Act (DPA) Purchase Commitment valued at up to $105 million.
The project will be executed through two awards. The first is a modification to the current production IDIQ contract, to be funded by the services, for delivery of countermeasure products for the delivery of aviation expendable pyrophoric countermeasures. The second award is an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), awarded by Army Contracting Command – Rock Island and funded by DOW’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program. This OTA will cover the purchase of the intellectual property, the restart of the production facility, and production technical support.
This major milestone was championed and supported by a broad coalition of defense organizations, including: the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, the War Department’s Industrial Base Council and Joint Energetics Transition Office, Program Acquisition Executive, Agile Sustainment and Ammunition, Capability Portfolio Executive for Ammunition and Energetics, Project Manager Close Combat Systems, the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, and the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command.