(click to view full)
Australia’s ALR 2002 attempt to develop its own radar warning receiver & protection suite for its aircraft, including the RAAF’s F/A-18 Hornets, failed, forcing Australia to turn to the global standard for Hornets and Super Hornets: Raytheon’s AN/ALR-67(v)3. Canada also has a CF-18 Hornet upgrade program underway, as the current CF-18 fleet is expected to serve until at least 2017. As attacks from Pakistan rise, the government is also looking hard at sending its Hornets into harm’s way in Afghanistan.
Raytheon’s AN/ALR-67v3 is a radar warning receiver that provides visual and audio alerts to F/A-18 aircrew when it detects ground-based, ship-based, or airborne radar emitters. It’s designed to provide accurate identification, azimuth displays, and threat levels for hostile and friendly emitters. It has become the modern standard for F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet aircraft, and has been incorporated into a number of earlier model Hornets flown around the world.
Canada is adding itself to that list, and continues to buy new systems as part of multi-country orders.
In August 2007, Canada’s formal DSCA request involved 59 AN/ALR-67v3 Radar Warning Receivers, 24 AN/ALR-67v3 partial ship-sets, test program sets, adapters, test sets and support equipment, spare and repair parts, personnel training and training equipment, technical assistance, and other related elements of logistics support for its own Hornet fleet. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $209 million.
The Aug 3/07 DSCA announcement [PDF format] names Raytheon Corporation in Waltham, MA (ALR-67) and Boeing Company in St. Louis, MO (F/A-18) as the contractors, and adds that implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of 2 contractor representatives to Canada for 1-week intervals twice annually, in order to participate in technical reviews.
Unusually, there are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
Contracts and Developments
(click to view full)
Because these are foreign military sales, The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD manages the contracts. Note that these may not be all of the contracts associated with the purchase; they are simply all of the contracts that have been publicly announced.
May 1/09: Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems in Goleta, CA received an $83.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for LOT 11 full-rate-production of 94 AN/ALR-67v3 Radar Warning Receiver defensive systems that equip F/A-18 Hornet family aircraft. Customer include the U.S. Navy (43 for $35.8 million; 43%) and the Governments of Canada, (26 for $22.3 million; 27%), Australia (19 for $13.4 million; 16%), and Switzerland (5 for $12.1 million; 14%), including supplies and services.
Work will be performed in Goleta, CA (41%); Lansdale, PA (18%); Forest, MS (12%); Chatsworth, CA (11%); San Diego, CA (10%); Sydney, Australia, (4%); Milwaukie, OR (2%); and McKinney, TX (2%), and is expected to be complete in February 2012. This contract was not competitively procured by US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD, as Raytheon is the sole manufacturer of these systems (N00019-09-C-0052).
This contract brings Canadian orders to 64 radar warning receiver sets.
April 3/09: Small business qualifier Tech Resources, Inc. in Milford, NH received a $5.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for 16 AN/ALR-67(V)3 antenna coupler interconnecting groups, for the upgraded F/A-18+ Hornet fighters flown by the Royal Australian Air Force and for the government of Canada. Purchases are divided 50/50, at $2.945 million each.
This contract was not competitively procured, pursuant to the FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract (N68335-09-C-0133).
Feb 27/09: Raytheon Co., Electronic Warfare Operations in Goleta, CA received a $9.9 million cost plus fixed fee contract for products and engineering services in support of the AN/ALR-67v3 operational flight programs for US Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets ($5.4 million, 55%) and the F/A-18 A-D and E/F aircraft owned by the Governments of Canada ($1.5 million, 15%), Australia ($1.5 million, 15%), and Switzerland ($1.5 million, 15%). The estimated level of effort for this contract is 57,686 man-hours.
Work will be performed Goleta, CA (80%) and Point Mugu, CA (10%); and China Lake, CA (10%), and is expected to be complete in February 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $1.15 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, CA (N68936-09-C-0029).
Aug 22/08: Raytheon Co. in Goleta, CA received a $13.7 million firm-fixed-price delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-05-G-0008) for 174 AN/ALR-67v3 Enhanced Integrated Antenna Detector Radar Warning Receivers and 173 AN/ALR-67v3 Enhanced Antenna Detector Radar Warning Receiver Systems in support of the Canadian Forces for the F/A-18 A/B aircraft; and 6 Integrated Microwave Integrated Circuits in support of the Swiss Army Armasuisse for its F/A-18 C/D aircraft.
This contract combines purchases for the Government of Canada ($13.6 million; 99%) and the Government of Switzerland, ($114,526; 1%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Lansdale, PA (75%) and El Segundo, CA (25%), and is expected to be complete in March 2011.
March 27/08: Raytheon Co. Electronics Systems in Goleta, CA received an $11.7 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0123), exercising an option for the full-rate-production of 14 Lot 10 AN/ALR-67v3 Radar Warning Receivers to support F/A-18 legacy aircraft programs for the Canadian Air Force (13, $10.8 million; 92%) and the Swiss Air Force (1, $834,426; 7%) under the Foreign Military Sales Program.
Work will be performed in Forest, MS (46%); Goleta, CA (14%); Lansdale, PA (10%); Brisbane, Australia (9%); Chatsworth, CA (7%); El Segundo, CA (7%); McKinney, TX (4%); and Portland, OR (3%), and is expected to be complete in June 2011.
Dec 6/07: Raytheon Co., Electronics Systems in Goleta, CA received a $51.9 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0123), exercising an option for the full-rate-production of 53 Lot 10 AN/ALR-67v3 Radar Warning Receivers for the U.S. Navy (24, $25.7 million; 49.55%); Canadian Air Force (25, $22.7 million; 43.85%); and the Finnish Air Force (4, $3.4 million; 6.6%), including spare weapon replaceable assemblies for the U.S. Navy.
Work will be performed in Forest, MS (46%); Goleta, CA (14%); Lansdale, PA (10%); Brisbane, Australia (9%); Chatsworth, CA (7%); El Segundo, CA (7%); McKinney, TX (4%); and Portland, OR (3%), and is expected to be complete in March 2011.