Lockheed Wins $24.8 Million Navy Deal for Conformal Radar Arrays

The Syracuse-based defense contractor received a fixed-price incentive contract to produce lightweight low-cost conformal arrays, with work due by May 2029, the Navy said.

First Published: August 7, 2026, 1:23 PM ET

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK — Lockheed Martin Corp., the largest U.S. defense contractor by sales, won a $24.8 million Navy contract to build lightweight low-cost conformal arrays, the Pentagon said on August 7, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET as announced on war.gov.

The fixed-price incentive undefinitized contract action carries a value of $24.8 million and calls for completion by May 2029, according to war.gov. Work will be performed in Syracuse, New York, at 70%; La Mesa, Mexico, at 20%; and Clearwater, Florida, at 10%.

Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C., serves as the contracting activity for the award. The Navy did not competitively procure the contract, citing a statute that permits sole-source awards when only one responsible source can satisfy the requirement, according to war.gov.

Funding drew on three fiscal 2026 accounts. Navy other procurement funds supplied $11,408,444, or 61%; shipbuilding and conversion funds added $5,704,222, or 31%; and research and development funds contributed $1,462,500, or 8%. The obligated money will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year, according to war.gov.

The deal ranks as the smallest Navy contract awarded so far in 2026, which marks its place at the bottom of the year’s naval portfolio. That figure trails the largest 2026 Navy award of $46.1 million recorded to date. The contract landed among eight Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide that day.

Conformal arrays let radar and communications antennas follow the curved surface of a ship or aircraft rather than sit on a flat panel. The design cuts drag and frees deck space, which matters as the Navy fields sensors across a fleet that must track faster threats.

The award marks the 11th contract to Lockheed Martin Corp.in 2026, lifting the company’s total contract value for the year to $67.2 billion. It stands as the fifth Department of Defense contract awarded in New York during 2026. The sum falls far below the company’s record single award of $53.9 billion.

For the average U.S. reader, the contract shows where a slice of the defense budget flows and which communities gain jobs. Syracuse anchors the bulk of the work, and Clearwater picks up a smaller share, tying local payrolls to the pace of Navy sensor programs.

This has happened before.Lockheed Martin Corp.draws steady Navy work each year, and the 2026 tally of contracts reflects a long pattern of repeat awards across procurement, shipbuilding, and research accounts. The company remains the government’s top defense supplier by contract value.

Naval Sea Systems Command will next move to definitize the contract, fixing final terms and price for an undefinitized action that begins work before all details settle. A date for that decision has not been announced.

Syracuse has carried defense electronics work for generations, as the region’s radar heritage traces back decades. The plant that anchors this award grew from operations that General Electric ran in the city before Lockheed Martin Corp.took over the site in the late 1990s, according to war.gov. That transfer folded a storied radar workforce into the nation’s largest arms maker, and the city has supplied naval sensors ever since.

This contract represents the 11th contract awarded to Lockheed Martin Corp., in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $67,199,863,681. It is also the 5th Department of Defense contract awarded in New York during 2026. While this is not the largest contract ever awarded to Lockheed Martin Corp., whose record stands at $53,859,843,289, it is notable within the Navy portfolio. Specifically, it is not the largest Navy contract awarded in 2026, with the year-to-date maximum reaching $46,089,540, but it is the smallest Navy contract awarded so far this year, with the year-to-date minimum recorded at $24,766,887. Overall, this award was announced among 8 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on August 7, 2026.