The business of defense, October 7

The Navy intends to award Raytheon a sole-source contract for low-rate initial production of the Joint Multiple Effects Warhead System (JMEWS), warhead suites designated for Tomahawk Block Vb. Naval Air Systems Command posted the notice of intent on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026.² The Navy lists the system as a replacement for Tomahawk's current warhead.¹ The effort would move JMEWS from engineering and manufacturing development into production.²

Engineering and manufacturing developmentRaytheon contract signed Feb. 27, 2020. Not competed. Cost plus incentive fee.

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Low-rate initial productionNavy intends a sole-source award to Raytheon. Notice of intent posted Oct. 7, 2026.

The notice gives no quantity, dollar value or contract type.

Source: NAVAIR notice of intent N00019-26-RFPREQ-WPM280-0311 (SAM.gov); USAspending, contract N0001920C0004. Data as of Oct. 7, 2026.

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The development contract went to Raytheon without competition too. Signed in February 2020, it is priced cost-plus-incentive-fee.³ In April 2025, the command said it intended to give Raytheon a transition-to-production effort with an anticipated 18-month period of performance. That notice listed ground-launch flight tests, a production readiness review and readiness for low-rate initial production.⁴

The Navy rests the production sole source on Raytheon's standing as Tomahawk's "sole developer, designer, and manufacturer" since 1994, and on RTX alone holding the missile's current configuration and manufacturing data.²

X-Bow Systems said Wednesday it has been awarded a prototype agreement worth up to $69.7 million to develop and qualify a solid rocket motor booster for a Navy next-generation weapon. The agreement also funds rate tooling for a production line of up to 500 motors a year at X-Bow's Luling, Texas, site.¹

Phase 1 development effort$50.4 millionplanned

a solid rocket motor booster for a U.S. Navy next-generation weapon

Phase 2 qualification option$19.3 millioncontingent

qualify a solid rocket motor booster

$50 million was obligated at award

Source: X-Bow Systems release, Oct. 7, 2026

Sources

• www.prnewswire.com ↗

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That rate tooling goes into a sector where, the Pentagon said in 2022, consolidation had left only two domestic solid rocket motor suppliers.^{1, 4} X-Bow, a self-described non-traditional manufacturer, says it has delivered more than 2,100 rocket motors under a recently completed production contract.¹ In May it reported end-to-end energetic operations on two manufacturing systems at its Texas facility.³

The booster adds to Navy motor work X-Bow already holds. It has development contracts for the Standard Missile program's Mk 72 booster and Mk 104 dual-thrust motor, and in January it completed preliminary design review on both.²

Army Contracting Command-Rock Island administers the agreement, and its first phase runs 12 months. X-Bow says $50 million was obligated at award to incrementally fund that phase, nearly all of its $50.4 million.¹

X-Bow says the new program replaces single-purpose interceptors with a common architecture, including variants that pack more interceptors into each launch system. The company did not name the program or say whether other motor makers received similar agreements.¹

The Air Force is asking industry who can take up to four retired KC-10 Extender tankers, return them to service and deliver them to "a partner nation in North Africa." The request for information, posted Wednesday, lists regeneration, a one-time flight clearance, depot-level return to service, worldwide ferry delivery, in-country contractor logistics support and operational and maintenance training. Its title adds a three-to-five-year sustainment package.³

Regeneration

One-time flight clearance

Depot-level return to service

Worldwide ferry delivery

In-country contractor logistics support

Operational and maintenance training

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Up to four KC-10 ExtendersTransferred as excess defense articles to a partner nation in North Africa

Market research only: the notice says it is not a request for proposals or a promise to issue one.

Source: SAM.gov notice FA8625-27-R-B001, posted Oct. 7, 2026; U.S. Air Force KC-10 fact sheet. Data as of Oct. 7, 2026.

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The tankers move as excess defense articles, which go to partners "as is, where is," at a reduced price based on condition or as a grant.² Under those terms the partner pays for transportation and any refurbishment, and the notice's title calls the effort a Foreign Military Sales program for the purchase of the aircraft.^2–3

Much of the work is on a commercial-derivative airframe that the Air Force retired on Sept. 26, 2024. The KC-10 is a modified DC-10 that retains 88 percent systems commonality with the airliner, and it flies on three General Electric CF6-50C2 turbofans.¹

The notice doesn't name the country or put a value on the work. The full request contains Controlled Unclassified Information and is restricted; companies ask for access by sending their name, company and CAGE code. Responses should include estimated costs and are due Wednesday, Oct. 28, with no small-business set-aside.³

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) intends to negotiate a cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control to integrate the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) on the B-52. The work covers missile software updates, testing, test asset repair and failure review boards.¹

$8,181,254F-15E/EX, awarded May 29

$13,810,699F-16, awarded Aug. 3

No value statedB-52, notice of intent Oct. 7

The B-52 notice is not a contract. NAVAIR intends to negotiate the order, and the notice commits the government to no award.

NAVAIR presolicitation and award notices, SAM.gov, as of Oct. 7, 2026

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The bomber follows two fighters down the same contracting path. In early 2025, NAVAIR posted notices of intent for LRASM integration and test support on the F-15E/EX and the F-16.^{2, 4} Lockheed received the $8.2 million F-15E/EX order on May 29 this year.³ The $13.8 million F-16 order followed on Aug. 3.⁵ Both were sole-source orders placed under the basic ordering agreement the B-52 notice cites.^{1, 3, 5}

Lockheed would get the B-52 work without competition as well. NAVAIR calls the company "the sole designer, developer, manufacturer, and integrator" of the anti-ship missile and says its missiles unit alone has the knowledge and technical data the job requires.¹

Lockheed says LRASM brings long-range strike to the B-1B and F/A-18E/F, with integration efforts under way on the F-35B/C, P-8 and F-15.⁶

Special Operations Command Korea intends to award Neros Technologies a sole-source contract for Archer Strike drones and the equipment around them.¹ The presolicitation notice, posted Wednesday by an office under U.S. Special Operations Command, describes a commercial buy under FAR 12 with Pyeongtaek, South Korea, as the place of performance.^1–2 Neros says Archer Strike integrates directly with Kraken Kinetics' Terminus strike payloads; the Terminus-LV lines in this notice are trainers and casings.^{1, 5}

Special Operations Command Koreaeight Archer Strike 10-inch dronesplanned

This will be a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contract

United States Marine CorpssUAS including kinetic-strike capable FPVsactual

Neros said on Nov. 3, 2025 it was awarded a multi-million delivery order

Neros said on Nov. 10, 2025 the Army selected it as one of the primary FPV manufacturers for the Purpose-Built Attritable Systems program

Anticipated award date is 10 October 2026

Source: SAM.gov presolicitation H9227927QE001, posted Oct. 7, 2026; Neros releases of Nov. 3 and Nov. 10, 2025. Data as of Oct. 7, 2026.

Sources

• neros.tech ↗
• neros.tech ↗
• sam.gov ↗

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The award would put a special operations buyer beside the Army and Marine Corps work Neros announced in November 2025.^{1, 4–5} The 10-inch Archer Strike in this notice is among the drones Neros said it would supply to the Army's Purpose-Built Attritable Systems program.^{1, 5} The company said the Army selected it as one of the program's primary FPV (first-person-view) drone makers.⁵ The Marine Corps work is a delivery order for small drones including kinetic-strike capable FPVs.⁴

Eight drones is a small buy next to Neros' Gauntlet II order.^{1, 3} That order, announced Sept. 30 through the Drone Dominance Program, covers 14,000 drones and explosive payloads. Neros put its value at over $100 million.³