The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awarded Boeing’s [BA] Insitu Inc. a $54 million contract on Tuesday to produce four full-rate production Lot II RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) vehicles.
The contract also directs the production of eight additional Blackjacks to substitute attrition aircraft, seven for the Marine Corps and one for Poland.
The award includes procurement of ground control stations, launch and recovery equipment, shipboard equipment kits, and systems engineering and program management support.
Work will be split between Bingen, Wash. (70 percent) and Hood River, Ore. (30 percent) and is expected to be finished by June 2019. NAVAIR said the contract was not competitively procured, pursuant to acquisition regulations.
The full award amount was obligated at award time using fiscal year 2018 Marine Corps procurement, overseas contingency operations, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) accounts. None of the funds will expire at the end of the fiscal year.
The vast majority of purchases covers the Marine Corps (52.8 million or 98 percent) with the remainder covering FMS (1.2 million or two percent).
The Navy and Marine Corps use the eight-foot long Blackjack for maritime and expeditionary land intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), target acquisition, and communications relay. The aircraft does not require a runway for launch and recovery, but uses a catapult for launching.
Each Blackjack system includes five air vehicles, two ground control systems, and launch and recovery equipment.