Air Force definitizes Boeing AWACS avionics upgrade contract, adds $46M

By Rachel Cohen / December 8, 2017 at 11:00 AM

The Defense Department announced this week it has added $46 million to a $13.1 million undefinitized contract awarded to Boeing in June for the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System's digital avionics overhaul, and the previous contract's details are now final.

That upgrade program, named Diminishing Manufacturing Sources Replacement of Avionics for Global Operations and Navigation (DRAGON), is in low-rate initial production and will be fully operational in the late 2020s. Congress is encouraging the Air Force to expand the modification, which adds modern navigation systems and other air traffic compliance and technology improvements in a digital cockpit, from 24 jets to the entire 31-aircraft fleet.

Once DRAGON is installed, the E-3 will no longer need a dedicated navigator onboard the aircraft, cutting the crew size to three. AWACS offers battle management, command and control and airborne target tracking capability from a Boeing 707 airframe.

The contract announced Dec. 7 "will definitize the undefinitized contract action contract line item numbers and award remaining effort not associated for low-rate initial production" of the DRAGON program. About $4.5 million in fiscal year 2017 funding was paid up front, the Pentagon said. Work will run through Jan. 24, 2022.

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