Collins Elbit Wins $9 Million Navy Order for F/A-18 Helmet Display Repairs

Collins Elbit Vision Systems LLC of Fort Worth, Texas, has received a $9.39 million firm-fixed-price Navy delivery order to repair 314 helmet display units used on F/A-18 aircraft. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support awarded the work under an existing basic ordering agreement. All repairs will be performed in Atlanta, Georgia, and are expected to be completed by December 2027.

F/A-18 Helmet Display Repair Details

Collins Elbit will evaluate the display units, repair or replace defective components, reassemble the equipment and test it for return to ready-for-issue condition. The solicitation’s statement of work calls for repairs to follow approved technical drawings and repair manuals, with the contractor supplying the necessary parts, materials and test equipment.

The solicitation sets a 120-day turnaround from receipt of an asset to government inspection and acceptance. It also calls for the contractor to document its repair and testing procedures. Although the broader solicitation listed power supplies and cable assemblies alongside the 314 helmet display units, the announced delivery order covers the display-unit repairs.

F/A-18 Helmet Display Modernization Background

The repair order concerns equipment used with the Navy’s Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System, which presents information to pilots and supports the cueing of aircraft sensors and weapons. Separately, the Navy is developing the Improved JHMCS for F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers. The Navy’s description of that effort says the redesigned system is intended to address obsolescence and reduce helmet weight and pilot neck strain while combining day and night display functions in a single color display. The new order funds repairs to existing units, not development of the redesigned system.

Award and Contractor Background

The Navy made the repair award on a sole-source basis: one company was solicited and one offer was received. Its presolicitation notice said competitive acquisition of the display unit was constrained by the availability of technical data and government source-approval requirements. Collins Elbit also received a separate $16.8 million Navy design-and-development award in July 2023 for Improved JHMCS, according to NAVAIR.

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 N0038326FNQ04 after the contract is formally disclosed by the government.