NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – The U.S. Navy announced recently that Raytheon Co., Fullerton, Calif., has been awarded the $232 Million System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract for the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS).

Raytheon is one of two companies that submitted proposals for the Cost Plus Incentive Fee (CPIF) contract with Award Fee provisions that will develop a GPS-based ship landing system for Navy aircraft carriers, L-Class Ships and other Naval combatants.

JPALS will replace multiple obsolete aircraft landing systems with a system that is more affordable, will function in more operational environments and will support all Department of Defense sea-based applications. This capability will provide interoperability between the services for approach and control as well as with civilian operations.

“This announcement represents the Navy’s largest investment in Air Traffic Control in many years. The extraordinary efforts leading to this announcement have helped the JPALS program begin to develop a GPS-based system never before available to the Fleet,” said Capt. CJ Jaynes, PMA-213 program manager, who oversees the Navy’s Air Traffic Control and Combat Identification System Program Office here. “This is a significant milestone for the JPALS program, concluding a deliberate and meticulous source selection process that adhered to stringent Federal Acquisition Regulation and NAVAIR source selection processes and documentation requirements.”

JPALS will become an integral part of maritime landing systems for the Navy as well as the future landing system for the joint services. The lead aircraft to test this system will include the F/A-18 E/F, EA-18G fighters as well as MH-60R/S helicopters.

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