$450M Precision-Strike Contract

By James Drew / January 26, 2015 at 2:14 PM

The Air Force plans to award Sierra Nevada Corp. a sole-source contract worth up to $450 million to supply parts for the AC-130 gunship's precision strike system, according to a Jan. 26 presolicitation notice.

The service has two gunships operated by special operations forces: the AC-130W Stinger II and newer AC-130J Ghostrider. Both are outfitted with a strike package comprised of a 30mm cannon and Hellfire and Griffin missiles.

The notice states that the Air Force intends to award SNC the five-year indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract in May. The contract's ceiling value would be $450 million.

The contract specifically relates to the supply of components for the missile system, called the Standoff Precision-Guided Munitions payload, or SOPGM.

The contract is being managed by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's rapid acquisition cell at Eglin Air Force Base, FL. The same office recently foreshadowed a $495 million contract with Raytheon for 5,000 Griffin missiles.

There are 12 Stinger II gunships in the Air Force's inventory and the service expects to purchase 32 Ghostriders through 2021, service fact sheets state.

166972