Raytheon was awarded a potential $212.1 million Navy contract on March 18, 2026 for operations and maintenance of the relocatable over-the-horizon radar (ROTHR) system supporting the Forces Surveillance Support Center in Chesapeake, Virginia. Coverage from GovCon Wire.

Contract structure

  • Base period: 1 year, $40.3M
  • 4 option years
  • Total potential value: $212.1M through April 2031 if all options exercised
  • $1M of FY2026 Navy O&M funds obligated at award
  • Performance sites in Virginia, Texas, and Puerto Rico

What ROTHR does

ROTHR is a long-range, high-frequency radar primarily used for counter-narcotics surveillance over the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. The system bounces signals off the ionosphere to look thousands of miles past line-of-sight — important for detecting drug-running aircraft and small vessels.

Subcontract footprint

  • Antenna-field maintenance subs across VA, TX, and PR sites
  • RF specialty firms (HF transmitter tubes, T/R modules)
  • Software-defined-radio modernization is the natural pull-through of these recurring O&M awards

Sources