Raytheon Gets Contract for FAB-T Command Terminals

Raytheon won the production contract to supply the command post terminals that are part of the Air Force’s broader Family of Advanced Beyond Line of Sight Terminals program, supplanting Boeing from that role. On June 2, the Air Force awarded Raytheon a $298 million contract to supply the CPTs, according to a company release. The contract has options for low-rate initial production, full-rate production, and interim contractor support. Boeing has been the FAB-T prime contractor for 12 years, but ran into challenges maturing its terminal design, prompting the Air Force to bring on Raytheon in September 2012 as a potential alternative supplier. The Air Force wants to procure the command post terminals to equip E-4B and E-6 aircraft and fixed and mobile ground sites. The service has also had plans to acquire FAB-T advanced wideband terminals for B-2, B-52, and RC-135 aircraft, but has not chosen the supplier yet. FAB-T gear is meant to provide the national command authority with beyond-line-of-sight survivable communications for the command and control of US nuclear forces. (See Pentagon’s list of major contracts for June 2.)