$9.8M to Harris for F/A-18 Fibre Channel Switches
Harris Corp of Melbourne, FL recently announced a $9.8 million follow-on contract to provide 209 fibre channel network switches for the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and for other military aircraft. The new award brings the total value of Harris’ switch development and production contracts to more than $55 million.
Under the new award, Harris will supply 188 switches for U.S. Navy Lot 33 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters, the derivative EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets, and E-2D Hawkeye AWACS surveillance aircraft; for F/A-18F and EA-18G supplemental aircraft; and also for retrofitting of F/A-18E/F production lots 26-28. The contract also will provide 21 switches for Australian F/A-18F Block II aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales program. Harris will produce the switches in Melbourne, FL and expects to complete the work by December 2010.
Fibre channel network switches are a component of the aircraft’s onboard computers and displays. They provide the fibre channel protocols required for high-speed communications between computing elements, and for line-speed synchronous switching.
