Raytheon Wins $147M Future Advanced Strike (FAST) Contract
Justin Siken05/26/2023
Contract Award Defense Technology
HigherGov
$147M Contract Supports Continued Development of Raytheon's Coyote Block 3
Raytheon Technologies has been awarded a $146.7 million cost-plus contract for the Future Advanced Strike (FAST) program from the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Work under the contract will include completion of design modifications currently underway for the Coyote Block 3 unmanned aircraft system.
Specific tasks under the FAST contract will include finalizing configurations and developing technical data packages, manufacturing test assets, testing for an enhanced payload air system, a new launch module, a fire control system, and ancillary peculiar support equipment. Additionally, this contract is designed to include flight tests in support of developmental testing and operational demonstrations.
Overview of Coyote Block 3 Program
Raytheon's Coyote is a small, expendable, tube-launched unmanned aircraft system that can be deployed from the ground, air, or sea. Coyote can be flown individually or netted together in swarms, and it is adaptable for a variety of missions including surveillance, electronic warfare and strike.
The Coyote Block 3 is supported by the U.S. Navy and aims to deliver intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike capabilities when deployed from autonomous maritime vessels, such as unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).
The FAST contract is a continuation of a $36 million Block 3 contract awarded by ONR in February 2021. In August 2021, Raytheon announced that a demonstration of the Block 3 in an air intercept test had used a non-kinetic warhead to defeat a swarm of 10 drones.
Raytheon also has several existing contracts for the Coyote Block 2 and Block 3 systems with the U.S. Army including a $237 million contract awarded in April 2023 and a $207 million contract awarded in late 2022 as well as a number of smaller awards with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Empirical Systems Aerospace has been the largest disclosed subcontractor to-date on the Coyote Block 3 providing an estimated $10 million in NRE services for the Block 3 to Raytheon, and it may be a continued beneficiary under this most recent award.
Over $350M Now Awarded Under ONR's 2021 Long Range BAA
The FAST contact is the largest contact to date awarded under ONR's 2021 Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology. The goal of this BAA is to supplement long-range science and technology projects that offer potential for advancement and improvement of Navy and Marine Corps operations.
Prior to this award, at least 42 awards worth $214 million have been made to contractors through the BAA including to Leidos, Moebius Solutions, Accipiter Systems, Martin Defense Group, and Saab.
Additional Details
The contract will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (59%) and San Luis Obispo, California (41%) and is expected to be completed by December 2024. Additional detail will be available in HigherGov in approximately 90 days under contract ID N0001423C1022.
