Raytheon takes on F/A-18 work

Raytheon Co. won a contract worth up to $8 million to provide time-critical parts for the Navy's F/A-18 Shared Reconnaissance Pod system.

The system, known as Sharp, gives carrier-based air wings high-resolution, digital, tactical air reconnaissance with advanced capabilities for day, night and all types of weather.

Raytheon Technical Services Co. LLC, which won the contract, is the sole-source producer of Sharp pods and the integrator of the Sharp system. In September, the company won a $12.5 million contract from the Navy for spares for fielded Sharp systems.

Under the new contract, Raytheon will obtain and integrate key subsystems and components in the production of six Sharp systems for delivery in 2006. The system production work will be performed in Indianapolis, where Raytheon Technical Services is located.

Headquartered in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 78,000 people and had 2003 revenue of $18.1 billion. The company is No. 7 on Washington Technology's 2004 Top 100 list of federal prime contractors.