Raytheon, SciTec, WildStar Awarded $423M Space Force Ground Radar Digitization Contracts
Anna Davis07/19/2026
Contract Award Defense
HigherGov
The U.S. Space Force announced it has awarded three Ground-Based Radar Digitization agreements to Raytheon, SciTec Innovations, and WildStar worth a combined $423.4 million (about $423 million) over approximately two years. The firm-fixed-price prototype other transaction agreements will be performed in Woburn, Massachusetts; Princeton, New Jersey; and Arlington, Texas, respectively.
Work to be Completed Under Ground-Based Radar Digitization Contract
The Ground-Based Radar Digitization program will create a common architecture and design for upgrading critical missile warning and space-surveillance radars.
The modernization covers the back-end systems associated with five Upgraded Early Warning Radar sites and the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System at Cavalier Space Force Station, North Dakota. Those systems operate continuously to detect, track and characterize ballistic missile threats while also tracking satellites and other objects in support of space domain awareness.
The program is intended to replace aging analog and hardware-dependent components with scalable digital technology. The planned design will use a government-owned modular open system architecture, digital engineering and DevSecOps practices, with a high degree of commonality between the UEWR and PARCS back ends. The approach is expected to improve tracking capacity, range, object classification, data integration and cybersecurity while reducing sustainment costs and dependence on obsolete components.
The acquisition follows a Middle Tier Acquisition rapid-prototyping approach. Initial prototypes are planned for one UEWR location and the PARCS site before potential rapid-fielding production for the remaining UEWR locations. The prototype is expected to comply with the government reference architecture and Modular Open Systems Approach requirements while maximizing functionality across missile warning, missile defense and space domain awareness missions.
The broader program encompasses radar locations at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, Beale Air Force Base in California, Cape Cod Space Force Station in Massachusetts, Clear Space Force Station in Alaska, RAF Fylingdales in the United Kingdom and Cavalier Space Force Station in North Dakota. The Space Force intends to retain the radars’ front-end high-power radio-frequency components and external communications paths while modernizing data and signal processing, command and control, signal generation, receiving systems and other back-end elements.
The award notice states that work under the three agreements is expected to be completed by April 21, 2028, while the solicitation describes a broader program schedule extending through October 2029. Earlier planning information in the GBRD sources sought notice identified initial operational capability targets of 2028 for a UEWR site and 2029 for PARCS, followed by full operational capability across all six sites in 2030.
Raytheon, SciTec Innovations and WildStar Receive GBRD Awards
Raytheon, based in Woburn for this award, received agreement FA8723-26-9-B0003 for $309.5 million (about $310 million). SciTec Innovations of Princeton received FA872-26-9-B001 for $93.7 million (about $94 million), while WildStar of Arlington received FA8723-26-9-B002 for $20.2 million (about $20 million).
The awards followed a competitive acquisition that drew eight offers. Space Systems Command is obligating $107.4 million (about $107 million) at the time of award, and its contracting office in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is managing the agreements. The awardees have previously performed other defense and space work, including Raytheon’s COBRA DANE depot and sustainment contract, SciTec’s Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution mission data processing effort and WildStar’s Strategic Funding Increase program award.
This award was disclosed by the DoW in its daily press release. Additional contract details will be available on HigherGov once disclosed by the government in approximately 90 days under FA8723269B0003, FA872269B001, FA8723269B002 after the contract is formally disclosed by the government.
