MELBOURNE, Fla. - Extant Aerospace in Melbourne, Fla., has been awarded a U.S. Air Force indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with a maximum value of $147.31 million to produce components for the ALE-47 airborne countermeasure dispenser system.
The contract covers production of line replaceable units (LRUs) and shop replaceable units (SRUs) for the ALE-47, an aircraft survivability system that dispenses expendable countermeasures to help protect aircraft from radio-frequency and infrared-guided missile threats.
Survivability technology
The ALE-47 is an integrated, threat-adaptive, and reprogrammable system that operates as part of an aircraft's broader survivability architecture. It receives threat information from integrated electronic-warfare and missile-warning systems and uses that information to optimize the countermeasure response. The system can operate in automatic, semi-automatic, manual, and bypass modes. Depending on the aircraft configuration, the ALE-47 can receive threat data from systems including radar warning receivers and missile warning systems, allowing the dispenser to respond to threats without requiring the aircrew to manually initiate every countermeasure release.
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The system supports a broad range of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. BAE Systems, which markets the ALE-47, says more than 4,000 systems have been installed on 37 aircraft platforms in more than 30 countries. Its published platform list includes aircraft such as the F-16, F/A-18, C-130, C-17, P-3, P-8, V-22, AH-1 and UH-1. The Marine Corps says the ALE-47 Power PC variant has been operationally fielded since 2013 on the MV-22B, AH-1Z, UH-1Y, CH-53E/K, and F/A-18C/D.
The contract has a ceiling of $147.31 million and runs through 27 Aug. 2032. Individual orders will cite Foreign Military Sales requirements where applicable.
The Air Force is obligating $5.12 million at the time of award, including $1.10 million in fiscal 2026 defense working capital funds, $1.81 million in fiscal 2025 aircraft procurement, and $2.20 million in fiscal 2026 aircraft procurement.
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity. The contract number is FA8523-26-D-0001.
