- The effort covers the delivery of 15 radio communication systems to Navy shipbuilders
- BAE Systems held the predecessor contract, which drew a single offer when last competed
- Work centers on Webster Outlying Field at St. Inigoes, Maryland
BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services has secured a Navy contract worth up to $252.6 million covering shipboard radio communication systems, or RCS, for Aegis destroyers.
Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division awarded the cost-plus-fixed-fee contract Aug. 20, according to a notice posted Sunday on SAM.gov. The Rockville, Maryland, company holds the predecessor contract, which was set to expire in June.
Communications systems aboard Aegis destroyers connect to the wider modernization effort taking shape at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Navy Summit, scheduled for Aug. 27 in Falls Church, Virginia. Government and industry leaders will address AI, digital engineering, unmanned systems, network modernization and other priorities shaping the fleet’s direction. Register now to secure your seat.
What Does the NAWCAD WOLF Aegis Contract Cover?
The work supports the Ship and Air Integrated Warfare Division at NAWCAD’s Webster Outlying Field, known as WOLF, in St. Inigoes, Maryland.
WOLF operates as an organic lead systems integrator, a model under which government civilians manage execution alongside industry teams and the government retains intellectual property and data rights.
The contractor supplies engineering, technical, logistics, integration, training and testing support to deliver assembled and tested command, control, communications, computers and intelligence radio systems for installation aboard ship. The division’s remit spans Aegis destroyers and cruisers, amphibious assault ships, aircraft carriers, and sealift ships.
How Many Radio Communication Systems Will BAE Systems Deliver?
Solicitation documents anticipated 15 hulls over the life of the effort. Each performance period will cover three, with roughly five years to complete each system.
Each system will include about 35 standard Navy electronic cabinets requiring full integration, plus 30 additional cabinets needing modification. Integration and testing at the government’s systems integration lab will involve about 3,500 cables, with another 700 fabricated for delivery to shipbuilders.
The contractor will assemble and test each system at St. Inigoes before disassembling it for shipment to the shipyard in four staged deliveries keyed to the ship’s construction schedule. Shipbuilder facilities are in Bath, Maine, and Pascagoula, Mississippi.
Crew familiarization training runs in three phases: classroom and hands-on instruction at St. Inigoes, a week aboard ship at the builder’s facility, and continued training during the ship’s first transit at sea.
Why Did the Navy Seek Additional Competition?
The Navy issued a sources sought notice in December 2024 to gauge industry interest before settling on an acquisition approach.
That notice stated the existing contract had been competed but drew only one response, and that the service wanted to ensure adequate competition. It also asked whether a small business set-aside was viable.
The Navy held an industry day at Webster Field in January 2025. Solicitation documents anticipated a nine-year period of performance with a six-month optional extension, and required a top secret facility clearance with secret safeguarding.
What Other Navy Work Does BAE Systems Hold?
Naval Sea Systems Command awarded BAE Systems Maritime Solutions a firm-fixed-price contract valued at up to $255.9 million in January for the USS Iwo Jima fiscal 2026 selected restricted availability. That award carried a base value of $204.2 million.
The company also received a $117.7 million modification in December for depot-level modernization, maintenance and repair of USS Forrest Sherman during fiscal 2026, with work at its Norfolk Ship Repair facility.
