F/A-18E/F Infrared Search and Track (IRST) Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) I

The Naval Air Systems Command under the Department of Defense has awarded a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to The Boeing Company for the procurement of six low rate initial production Infrared Search and Track systems for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. This long wave infrared detection system is designed to target airborne vehicles specifically within radar-denied environments. The specific award for these units is valued at 60,377,364 dollars, though broader justification documentation indicates a total estimated contract value of approximately 337.1 million dollars to cover Block I production and non-recurring engineering for Block II. The project is being executed as a sole-source award because Boeing is identified as the only responsible source capable of meeting the necessary technical and schedule requirements. Work is distributed across several locations, with 50 percent performed in Orlando, Florida, 38 percent in St. Louis, Missouri, 7 percent in Santa Ana, California, and 5 percent in Irvine, California. The contract was posted in January 2015 and was expected to be completed by August 2017.