Full-Rate Production of BQM-177A Target Vehicles

The contract authorizes the full-rate production of up to 280 BQM-177A Subsonic Aerial Target vehicles across Lots 4 through 7, encompassing the manufacture of complete airframes along with associated RATO boosters and mission-specific kits required for operational testing and training. Production activities are scoped to support the U.S. Navy’s needs for realistic subsonic aerial targets, ensuring compatibility with current and emerging defense systems. The work will be performed in Sacramento, with the Naval Air Systems Command serving as the contracting authority under the Department of Defense, and the North American Industry Classification System code 336411 designates the work as aircraft manufacturing. This subcontract falls under the broader full-rate production phase of the BQM-177A program, which follows developmental and low-rate initial production stages, indicating the system has met technical and operational thresholds for sustained manufacturing. The inclusion of RATO and mission kits ensures each vehicle is fully mission-capable upon delivery, enabling realistic simulations of adversarial threats during live-fire exercises. The contract is posted as of June 2026, signaling an active procurement timeline aligned with future training and readiness requirements, though no set-aside provisions or specific small business designations are indicated.