NORTH MANKATO, Minn. - Kato Engineering Inc. has received a potential $49.26 million U.S. Navy contract to provide engineering and life-cycle sustainment support for the Energy Storage Subsystem of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) aboard in-service Ford-class aircraft carriers.
The firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract covers programmatic and engineering support, configuration management, diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages, repairs and overhauls, technical support, logistics product updates, data calls and meeting support, and program planning.
EMALS replaces the steam catapults used on earlier U.S. aircraft carriers with an electrically driven launch system. NAVAIR says the system uses stored kinetic energy and solid-state electrical power conversion, enabling computer-controlled launch operations, monitoring and automation. The EMALS Energy Storage Subsystem includes the motor generator, generator control equipment, and stored-energy exciter power supply.
The Kato contract is focused on sustaining those energy-storage systems as Ford-class carriers enter and remain in operational service. The scope's emphasis on configuration management and diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages also addresses component availability and configuration issues that can affect long-term support of complex shipboard electrical systems.
The Navy previously identified Kato as the original equipment manufacturer for the EMALS Energy Storage Subsystem and planned a sole-source sustainment contract covering engineering, configuration management, DMSMS, repairs and overhauls, logistics and technical support. The earlier notice said Kato possessed specialized knowledge, manufacturing expertise, and technical information associated with the subsystem.
Work under the new contract will be performed in North Mankato, Minnesota (80%); Portsmouth, Virginia (18%); and Lakehurst, New Jersey (2%), and is expected to continue through September 2031.
No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funding will be provided through individual orders issued under the IDIQ contract.
The contract was not competitively procured. Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N0001926D1010).
