Raytheon Intelligence and Space, headquartered in El Segundo, California, has secured a contract worth $372m to enhance and modernise tactical capabilities, sensor instrumentation, and instrumentation interfaces for F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft.
Under the terms of the contract, the majority of the work will be carried out at Raytheon Intelligence and Space’s El Segundo facility, which serves as a centre of excellence for aerospace and defence solutions.
Additionally, a smaller portion of the work will be executed at the China Lake facility in California, along with contributions from the Goleta, Forest, and McKinney locations.
Raytheon provides Avionics, EW systems, radar and tactical communication equipment to the North American armed forces, especially the US, according to GlobalData.
The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, located in China Lake, California, serves as the contracting activity for this project.
Raytheon Intelligence and Space, a provider of technologies and solutions for the defence and aerospace industries, will deliver updates, improvements, and enhancements to the software blocks of the F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft.
These tactical enhancements will empower the aircraft with capabilities, enabling pilots to man the jet to respond effectively to evolving mission requirements and address emerging threats.
However, Boeing expects to end F/A-18 production in late 2025. The production timeline ‘could be extended’ until 2027 if any international customer orders the aircraft.
The US Navy’s F/A-XX program, a component of the broader USN Next Generation Air Dominance program, is looking to create a new jet to replace the older Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet models, according to GlobalData’s “US Defence Market 2022-2027” report.
The contract encompasses developing and integrating advanced sensor instrumentation and instrumentation interfaces, further augmenting the capabilities of the F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft.
By incorporating technologies and ensuring seamless compatibility between various systems and instruments, Raytheon Intelligence and Space aims to enhance the aircraft’s situational awareness, targeting accuracy, and overall operational performance.
The completion date of June 2028 allows sufficient time to implement the updates, improvements, and enhancements, ensuring that the F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft are.
Raytheon Technologies Q1 2023 results showed a 10% sales growth, reporting sales of $17.2bn and a record backlog.
