Utility Trailing Wire Antenna Removal

The U.S. Navy plans to procure nonrecurring engineering services from Rockwell Collins to design, develop, manufacture, and install 16 modification kits that will remove the Utility Trailing Wire Antenna (UTWA) from E-6B aircraft. This procurement will be conducted on a sole source basis, as Rockwell Collins is the original designer and developer of the E-6B UTWA and has exclusive testing capabilities to verify the functionality of the modified systems before installation on the aircraft. The effort will be executed under a firm-fixed-price order issued through the Basic Ordering Agreement N00019-04-G-0020 by the Naval Air Systems Command. This contract addresses the unique technical expertise and test infrastructure that only Rockwell Collins possesses, which justifies the sole source approach. The Naval Air Systems Command, based in Patuxent River, MD, is the overseeing agency, with Craig R. Simpson serving as the contracting officer. The work directly supports the modification and enhancement of Navy E-6B aircraft, aligning with the agency’s engineering requirements and ensuring operational reliability post-modification.