IN Brief:
- Boeing has received a $23.81m modification to an existing F/A-18 avionics equipment order.
- The contract covers 64 DTP-N A-kits, 32 B-kits, and associated cybersecurity and obsolescence work.
- Work will be divided between Melbourne, Florida, and St Louis, Missouri, with completion expected in January 2028.
Boeing has secured a $23.8 million US Navy contract modification to provide additional Distributed Targeting Processor-Networked equipment for F/A-18 aircraft undergoing service life modernisation. The award covers 64 DTP-N A-kits, 32 B-kits, and associated cybersecurity and component obsolescence support, extending the procurement of computing hardware used in the Super Hornet’s advanced avionics architecture.
The $23,805,339 firm-fixed-price modification exercises options under delivery order N0001925F0280, which was issued against basic ordering agreement N0001921G0006. Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River, Maryland, administers the procurement. Work will be divided between Melbourne, Florida, accounting for 60% of the activity, and St Louis, Missouri, accounting for 40%, with completion expected in January 2028.
The full modification amount will be obligated from fiscal 2027 Navy aircraft procurement funding. The action was not competed separately because it exercises options within the existing contractual arrangement. It adds defined equipment quantities and engineering support to an established procurement programme rather than creating a new aircraft development contract.
DTP-N provides additional computing and networking capability for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler avionics environment. The system was developed by L3Harris around an open architecture intended to accommodate changing mission processing requirements and the exchange of information between onboard equipment and external tactical networks.
The processor’s published design uses an eight-slot 6U VPX architecture, supporting the installation of compatible electronic modules within a defined mechanical and electrical arrangement. Its interfaces include fibre-optic and copper Ethernet connections, allowing information to pass between the processor, other avionics equipment, and approved communications systems. L3Harris also identifies multilevel security capability to support the management of different information domains.
Computing equipment of this kind provides a central point for handling information generated by aircraft sensors and mission applications. Radar, electronic warfare, navigation, and communications equipment produce different forms of data, while the mission architecture must process and distribute appropriate information to the pilot and other connected systems. Increased processing capability allows newer software functions to be introduced, provided the wider aircraft configuration supports them.
L3Harris identifies Tactical Targeting Network Technology as one of the external networking capabilities supported by DTP-N. The processor can connect through suitable communications interfaces to exchange time-sensitive information, including digital imagery and other mission data. The equipment therefore combines onboard processing with network access rather than functioning solely as an isolated mission computer.
The connection between these functions introduces demanding interface requirements. Data arriving from a sensor must be interpreted, formatted, and made available to the application that requires it. Network interfaces then have to transfer the appropriate information while maintaining timing and security controls. Performance depends on the complete installed arrangement, including the processor, associated software, communications hardware, and the systems exchanging data.
The Navy is acquiring the latest kits in connection with its F/A-18 Service Life Modification programme. That programme returns selected aircraft to maintenance facilities for structural work and capability improvements intended to extend their useful service and introduce features associated with the Block III configuration. The work combines airframe inspection and repair with the installation of updated electronic equipment.
Structural and avionics modernisation follow different technical sequences. Inspection findings determine the work needed on an individual airframe, while electronics installation must conform to the approved aircraft configuration. Equipment changes require suitable mounting, wiring, software integration, functional checks, and subsequent acceptance activity before the aircraft can return to its operating unit.
The October order identifies A-kits and B-kits as separate procurement deliverables. It does not provide a component-level description of either kit or establish that the two quantities correspond to 96 independently upgraded aircraft. Installation equipment can be procured and delivered at different stages, with the number of completed aircraft determined by the wider modification programme rather than the sum of individual kit quantities.
The addition of cybersecurity support reflects the processor’s role in a connected avionics environment. Software, interfaces, and configuration data must remain compatible with the security requirements applied to the aircraft’s mission systems. Changes to a computing component or its supporting software may therefore require verification of both technical operation and the controls governing information exchange.
Component obsolescence presents a related challenge because electronic devices often have shorter commercial production lives than military aircraft. A memory device, processing component, or interface part may become unavailable while the approved aircraft design remains in service. Replacement work requires engineers to assess component suitability, maintain the required electrical and functional characteristics, and complete applicable qualification activity.
The Navy has already placed earlier orders for DTP-N equipment under the same delivery arrangement. A December 2025 modification covered further B-kit production, establishing a procurement sequence that the latest option extends. Continued kit acquisition allows equipment deliveries to be coordinated with aircraft entering the modification process, although the October award does not specify the individual aircraft allocated to the latest production lot.
Production work in Melbourne and St Louis will support the manufacturing and delivery of the contracted equipment, together with the authorised engineering services. The published contract divides the industrial workload between those locations without specifying the internal allocation of individual components or identifying additional subcontractors.
As Super Hornets progress through structural and avionics upgrades, the availability of qualified computing hardware will remain one factor governing modification schedules. Equipment must arrive in the correct configuration and be integrated with the aircraft’s existing mission systems, with software and interface testing completed before acceptance.
Boeing is expected to complete the work covered by the $23.8 million option in January 2028. The award extends supply of DTP-N installation equipment and related support for the Navy’s continuing F/A-18 modernisation programme, while aircraft-specific installation and return-to-service dates remain governed by separate maintenance arrangements.
