Boeing Wins $42 Million Navy IRST Block II Contract for Super Hornets

Boeing has received a $42.2 million firm-fixed-price contract from Naval Air Systems Command to produce 29 Infrared Search and Track (IRST) Block II sensor assembly structures and fuel tank assemblies, including component integration, for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The order covers 20 units for the Navy, eight for Naval Air Systems Supply and one for the Royal Australian Air Force. Work will take place in St. Louis, Missouri, and Santa Ana, California, and is expected to be completed in August 2029.

IRST Block II Full-Rate Production Details

Boeing will produce the structures that house major components of the IRST Block II system within the Super Hornet’s centerline fuel-tank installation. According to the Navy’s sources-sought notice, the fuel tank and sensor structures must accommodate an infrared receiver, processor, inertial measurement unit and environmental control unit that are procured separately. The award notice assigns 70% of the work to St. Louis and 30% to Santa Ana.

Boeing will also perform final system integration to verify that the weapon-replaceable assemblies function together as a complete IRST system. The Navy’s production notice describes troubleshooting components that fail at the system level and the potential need for specialized production test equipment. The sources-sought notice also calls for automated testing and troubleshooting at the contractor’s facility.

F/A-18E/F IRST Block II Background

IRST Block II gives the Super Hornet a passive means of detecting and tracking airborne targets without emitting radar signals. Its sensor is mounted at the front of a redesigned centerline fuel tank. The Navy declared initial operational capability in November 2024, according to a Naval Air Systems Command announcement.

The program entered full-rate production in June 2025. The Defense Department’s FY2025 operational test report found that Block II detected operationally relevant targets at tactically relevant ranges, but assessed the system as not operationally suitable because of poor reliability. The Boeing award funds production of tank and sensor structures and their integration as the Navy continues to field the system.

Award and Contractor Background

The contract was not competitively procured. The Navy’s production notice identified Boeing as its intended sole-source contractor. Boeing has also worked on earlier Block II production efforts: a 2023 Defense Department acquisition report lists the company’s Block II Phase II and low-rate production Lots III and IV efforts among the program’s contracts.

This award was disclosed by the DoW in its daily press release. Additional contract details will be available on HigherGov in approximately 90 days under N0001926C1021 after the contract is formally disclosed by the government.