The Navy has committed its next five years of GPS-based range instrumentation work to a single vendor without a competition. In its Sept. 28, 2026 contract announcement, the Department of War said Rockwell Collins Inc., doing business as Collins Aerospace Government Systems of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received a $249,717,034 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract to supply test and training range systems. The announcement states plainly: "This contract was not competitively procured."
The vehicle is a hybrid, priced as cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost, and firm-fixed-price. Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake, California, is the contracting activity, under contract number N6893626D5007. Work is expected to finish in September 2031.
What Does the $249.7M Collins Contract Actually Buy?
The announcement describes two distinct lines of work. The first is new hardware and services: products and services for GPS-based range instrumentation test and training systems, including airborne and ground-based elements, associated equipment, and engineering and technical support.
The second is upkeep of what the Navy already fields. The contract also provides sustainment and modernization support for existing range instrumentation, and the announcement names four systems:
- the Common Range Integrated Instrumentation System (CRIIS)
- Tactical Combat Training System II (TCTS II)
- Air-to-Air Range Infrastructure 2nd Generation (AARI 2G)
- P6
The stated purpose of that sustainment and modernization work is to address obsolescence, improve performance, and add capabilities in support of test and training for multiple aircraft, weapons, and range systems. The announcement does not break the total into new-build and sustainment portions, and it does not give quantities or a ceiling by system.
Range instrumentation is the equipment that lets a range track aircraft and weapons and feed that data into test analysis and training debriefs. The announcement itself does not go into how each system is used, and this article does not characterize performance beyond what the Department of War stated.
Where the Work Will Be Done
The announcement lays out an unusually concentrated geographic split:
- Largo, Florida: 67%
- Cedar Rapids, Iowa: 23%
- Richardson, Texas: 6%
- Coralville, Iowa: 4%
Two-thirds of the effort lands in Largo, with Iowa sites together accounting for 27%. The announcement does not identify what is performed at each location, so the percentages say where the labor and production sit, not which system is built where.
Why Did the Navy Skip Competition?
The announcement offers no justification for the sole-source decision. Other entries in the same day's list cite specific authorities, such as Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 or 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1). This one carries only the flat statement that the contract was not competitively procured. The public text does not say whether the Navy relied on proprietary data rights, an existing installed base, or another exception.
One adjacent fact from the same Sept. 28 list is relevant context, not an explanation. The announcement also shows a separate $13,763,859 modification to Rockwell Collins Government Systems for TCTS II full rate production III supplemental spares and support, under a prior contract, N6134017C0007. For that action the announcement notes: "The initial contract was competitively procured." TCTS II is one of the systems the new IDIQ will sustain. That the original TCTS II award was competed while this follow-on was not is a distinction visible on the face of the announcement, though the document does not connect the two.
No Money Moved on Day One
The headline figure is a contract value, not an obligation. The announcement says: "No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued." Collins has a $249.7M vehicle, but revenue arrives only as the Navy places orders against it between now and September 2031.
That structure matters for anyone reading the number as a contract booking. Actual spending depends on order flow, and the announcement does not say how much of the $249,717,034 the Navy expects to use.
How the Financial Press Framed It
GuruFocus covered the award the same day under the headline Collins Aerospace Secures $249.7M GPS Systems Contract; RTX Valuation in Focus. It reports that Collins Aerospace Government Systems, a division of RTX Corp (NYSE: RTX), was awarded a contract valued at $249,717,034 to provide GPS-based range instrumentation systems for testing and training purposes. That framing ties the award to the parent company, RTX, which the Department of War announcement does not mention. The scope details in this article, including the named systems, work locations, completion date and the non-competitive status, come from the announcement text alone.
What It Means for Contractors
For Collins competitors and range-instrumentation suppliers. A non-competed award of this size through 2031 suggests limited prime-level competition for this scope while the vehicle is active. Companies that supply components, test equipment, or engineering services in the same lane may do better pursuing subcontracting relationships than waiting for a competitive solicitation. The Largo, Cedar Rapids, Richardson and Coralville footprint shows where Collins will perform the work.
For teaming and subcontract targets. The announcement lists Collins as the sole awardee. Because funds flow through individual orders, subcontract opportunities will likely surface as those orders are placed. Firms with obsolescence-management capabilities look like a natural fit for a contract whose stated purpose includes addressing obsolescence across CRIIS, TCTS II, AARI 2G and P6.
For anyone tracking the vehicle. The contract number N6893626D5007 and the contracting activity, NAWCWD China Lake, are the identifiers to watch. Individual orders may appear in later daily contract announcements if they cross the reporting threshold, and the announcement's own language confirms that obligations will come only with those orders.
For challengers. A sole-source announcement without a stated authority leaves the basis for the decision undisclosed. Companies that believe they could meet the requirement have the contract number and contracting office to reference when seeking further information from the Navy. Nothing in the public record indicates whether any challenge exists.
Open Questions on the Collins Range Contract
Several details remain unstated in the public text. The announcement does not give a minimum order guarantee, a per-system ceiling, or the split between hardware and sustainment. It does not name the exception used to skip competition. It also does not say whether any of the existing systems are approaching end of life or how many ranges use them. Until orders start appearing, the practical question is how quickly the Navy converts the contract value into obligations.
