This week the Navy awarded L3Harris Technologies [LHX] a contract worth up to $379 million for the production and repair of the Navy’s Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) system.
The contract announcement said the work supports the Navy, Marine Corps and future Foreign Military Sales requirements. This initial increment covers $15 million, but includes options that would raise the total to $379 million.
A Navy fact sheet website said the CEC is a hardware and software real-time sensor netting system “that enables high quality situational awareness and integrated fire control capability.” It is designed to enhance the anti-air warfare capability of U.S. Navy ships and aircraft as well as Marine Corps Composite Tracking Network (CTN) units via netting geographically dispersed sensors to create a single integrated air picture. This would allow Integrated Fire Control to destroy more advanced cruise missiles and aircraft threats than previously.
“Sensor data from individual units are transmitted to other units in the network via the real time high quality, anti-jam capable line of sight, [Data Distribution System],” the fact sheet continued.
“L3Harris is the trusted global provider of resilient, all-domain communications networks, and with this CEC agreement, the Navy has affirmed we deliver best-in-class capabilities to employ mission critical data for their most important missions,” Brendan O’Connell, president of Broadband Communication Systems at L3Harris Technologies, said in a company statement.
“The CEC enables the Navy, Marine Corps and Coalition forces to sense, defend, and strike earlier than the threat, increasing the survivability of the battle force and the overall speed of communication as they maneuver in a complex, multi-domain battlespace,” he added.
O’Connell noted CEC will be the backbone of the Navy’s portion of Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) architecture and integrated fires.
“L3Harris is fulfilling our commitment as a ‘trusted disruptor’ and prime systems integrator, and we are ready to support Naval Sea Systems Command and PEO Integrated Warfare Systems to develop, deliver, and sustain the CEC as an operationally dominant combat system for Sailors, Marines, and the joint force,” he added.
The initial contract work will be split between Largo, Fla. (60 percent), Johnston, Pa. (20 percent), Salt Lake City, Utah (18 percent) and Litz, Pa. (two percent), and is expected to be finished by November 2023. However, if all options are exercised, the work will continue through November 2028.
The Navy said the contract was competitively procured with two offers received, but did not disclose the other offeror.