HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has awarded L3Harris Technologies Integrated Systems L.P., operating as Aeromet in Tulsa, Okla., a potential 10-year, $499.57 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to operate, sustain, and modernize its Airborne Sensors (ABS) program.

Although the Department of Defense (DoD) contract announcement does not identify the aircraft involved, MDA acquisition documents issued ahead of the competition state that the follow-on ABS procurement supports the agency's High Altitude Observatory (HALO) airborne sensor program. The award follows a similar Aeromet contract issued in 2021 that explicitly referenced operations and sustainment of the HALO fleet.

The contract covers operation, maintenance, flight execution, improvement, and modernization of the ABS program. Work will be performed in Tulsa and is scheduled to run from 15 September 2026 through 14 September 2036.

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An initial task order valued at approximately $22.2 million is being awarded using fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation funding. According to the DoD contract announcement, the solicitation was posted through the Governmentwide Point of Entry, with one offer received.

The new award carries a substantially larger ceiling value than the previous contract, reflecting MDA's continued investment in one of its specialized airborne flight-test instrumentation assets.

Eye in the sky

HALO aircraft support missile defense flight testing by collecting airborne electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) data during test events. The aircraft complement radar and other instrumentation by providing optical and thermal observations that support post-flight analysis of missile trajectories, target behavior, interceptor performance, and engagement outcomes.

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Airborne sensing platforms such as HALO present unique systems integration challenges. Unlike fixed ground instrumentation, airborne EO/IR payloads must maintain precise target tracking while operating aboard high-altitude aircraft, requiring tightly integrated stabilized optics, mission electronics, high-speed data recording, avionics, and telemetry systems.

Long-term sustainment contracts of this type also address the practical realities of supporting specialized airborne electronics over decades of service. In addition to routine aircraft maintenance, modernization efforts commonly include technology refreshes to address electronic component obsolescence, improve mission computing and data-handling capabilities, maintain compatibility with evolving instrumentation, and support the integration of updated sensors and mission electronics as testing requirements evolve.

Airborne instruments

MDA uses airborne instrumentation across a range of missile defense flight-test activities. High-fidelity EO/IR data collected during test events helps engineers reconstruct engagements, validate system performance, characterize missile behavior, and evaluate missile defense technologies during developmental and operational testing.

Although MDA has not identified the specific upgrades planned under the new contract, the decade-long award provides a framework for continued sustainment and incremental modernization of one of the agency's key airborne sensing platforms, as well as the electronics, mission systems, and sensor infrastructure that support missile defense flight testing.

Airborne sensing platforms such as HALO present unique systems integration challenges. Unlike fixed ground instrumentation, airborne EO/IR payloads must maintain precise target tracking while operating aboard high-altitude aircraft, requiring tightly integrated stabilized optics, mission electronics, high-speed data recording, avionics and telemetry systems.

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The MDA uses airborne instrumentation across a range of missile defense flight-test activities. High-fidelity EO/IR data collected during test events helps engineers reconstruct engagements, validate system performance, characterize missile behavior, and evaluate missile defense technologies during developmental and operational testing.

Although the MDA has not identified the specific upgrades planned under the new contract, the decade-long award provides a framework for continued sustainment and incremental modernization of one of the agency's key airborne sensing platforms, as well as the electronics, mission systems, and sensor infrastructure that support missile defense flight testing.