The service will continue working with the Lockheed Martin and Boeing-Anduril teams but also hosting “shoot-off opportunity” for additional vendors, explained Lt. Gen. Frank Lozano.
The contract comes months after DoD and Raytheon inked a framework agreement to boost production of the air defense munition.
AI is reshaping the Army’s approach to cyber, electronic warfare and command and control. At TechNet Augusta 2026, leaders outlined how they’re turning emerging technology into capabilities for the battlefield.
The YFQ-48A performed fully autonomous “taxi, takeoff, in-flight maneuvers and landing” over the Mojave Desert in California, according to Northrop Grumman.
Anduril, Castelion, Lockheed Martin, RTX and Mach Industries were awarded Other Transaction Agreements for an undisclosed amount.
Separately, L3Harris announced it won a $6 billion contract from Lockheed Martin for THAAD interceptor propulsion systems.
Here are some parting sights from across the show floor at this year's conference.
AI-enabled workflows accelerate production, but cybersecurity and governance remain central.
“It means that the design is solid. It means that we're ready to move forward from an industrial base as well,” Jill Albertelli, the president of Pratt & Whitney's military engines business, told Breaking Defense.
Hermeus CEO Zach Shore told Breaking Defense the company can now vertically integrate production of its Quarterhorse drone and serve as a second source of engines for Pratt’s F100-PW-229 powerplant.
Compared to recent contracts, the average flyaway cost of an F-35A and F-35B rose by over 11 percent, while the price of an F-35C climbed over 8 percent, according to figures supplied by the F-35 Joint Program Office.
The Defense Department anticipates it will spend an additional $51 billion to acquire the stealth fighter, though revised estimates have pulled the program’s total cost beneath $2 trillion, according to a recent Pentagon report.
"Being able to tell the commander you don't need to do something is actually a pretty powerful message, as well."
One contract worth up to $603 million was issued to RTX subsidiary Raytheon, while a second valued at roughly $163 million was issued to B-52 prime contractor Boeing.
Over the past year, Pentagon leaders have leveraged multiyear contracts for critical munitions as an incentive to get defense primes to make larger investments in their production facilities and supply chain.
“I know there's lots of discussions on budget amounts and mechanics, but what I can tell you, as we engage with Congress, is there's a bipartisan support for increased munitions," RTX CEO Chris Calio said during a July earnings call.
A new audit from the Government Accountability Office found concerns with the Air Force’s modernization of the B-52 Stratofortress, which is planned to fly through the middle of the century.