GQM-163A Supersonic Sea Skimming Targets (SSST) Full Rate Production (FRP) Lot 18

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awarded a Firm Fixed Price contract, N00019-26-C-0122, to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (NGSC), Launch Vehicle Division, for the Full Rate Production (FRP) Lot 18 of twenty-eight GQM-163A Coyote Supersonic Sea-skimming Targets (SSST). These targets are designed to simulate anti-ship cruise missile threats to support the United States Navy, Foreign Military Sales, and Overseas Contingency Operations. The procurement is part of a larger production effort spanning FRP Lots 18 through 23, with an estimated total program quantity of 146 to 168 targets to be delivered by the end of the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2033. This contract was awarded on a sole-source basis under the statutory authority of 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1) and FAR 6.302-1, as NGSC is the sole designer, developer, and manufacturer of the GQM-163A system. Because NGSC possesses the proprietary technical data rights and unique engineering expertise required for production, the government determined that no other source could satisfy the requirements without causing unacceptable delays or substantial duplication of costs. Performance is primarily based in Chandler, Arizona, with oversight provided by NAVAIR in Patuxent River, Maryland.