Active Expendable Decoy (AED) Procurement and Support

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has initiated a non-competitive, sole-source procurement under solicitation N00019-24-RFPREQ-TPM272-0215 for the AN/ALQ-260(V) Anti-Missile Countermeasures Active Expendable Decoy (AED) system, including support equipment and spare impulse cartridges. Awarded to Leonardo UK, LTD, the contract is justified under FAR 6.302-1 and 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1) due to the contractor's unique technical expertise developed over 14 years of co-development and their specific qualification history with the F-35 platform. Market research determined that utilizing any other source would result in an unacceptable program delay of approximately eight years. The scope of work focuses on enhancing radio frequency countermeasure capabilities, with performance and production taking place in Luton, United Kingdom, and final inspection and acceptance conducted by the government at Patuxent River, Maryland. The contract structure consists of a base year and up to one option period, with the Class Justification and Approval authority remaining valid until September 30, 2026. Deliverables are subject to rigorous validation, including software testing, laboratory hardware-in-the-loop testing, and safe separation testing to ensure seamless integration with the F-35 platform.