Navy Awards Advanced Acoustic Concepts $53.9 Million for Mine Hunting Modules
The Pennsylvania defense contractor won a Navy contract that could reach $196.2 million to build two remote mine hunting modules, with work running through October 2029.
LEMONT FURNACE, PENNSYLVANIA — Advanced Acoustic Concepts LLC, a Pennsylvania builder of naval sonar and undersea detection systems, won a $53.9 million Navy contract to produce two remote mine hunting modules, as announced on war.gov.
The award could climb to $196.2 million if the Navy exercises all options, according to the contract announcement. Fiscal 2026 operations and maintenance funds of $53.9 million were obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Navy competitively procured the deal through the SAM.gov website and received three offers.
The contract blends cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost, and firm fixed-price terms, giving both sides a mix of risk and reward as the modules move from engineering to production. Work will span four sites, led by Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania, at 66%, followed by Clarksburg, Maryland, at 20%, Great River, New York, at 7%, and Washington, D.C., at 7%. Base work is expected to finish by October 2029, extending through September 2033 if every option is exercised.
Remote mine hunting modules let sailors detect and map sea mines from a distance, keeping crews and ships away from explosive threats. Advanced Acoustic Concepts markets itself as a supplier of advanced acoustic and sensor technology for naval platforms, according to advancedacousticconcepts.com. The firm operates as a Thales company, tying it to the French defense group that produces sonar and undersea systems for navies worldwide, according to thalesgroup.com.
The deal marks the largest contract ever awarded to Advanced Acoustic Concepts, surpassing its previous record of $21,202,473, according to govtribe.com. It stands as the company’s first contract of 2026 and the 30th Department of Defense award booked in Pennsylvania this year. Within the 2026 Navy portfolio, the figure sits above the year-to-date low of $9 million and well below the top mark near $8 billion.
Smaller specialty contractors rarely land awards of this size, and the jump more than doubles the firm’s prior high-water mark. The win channels federal spending into Lemont Furnace, a small community in Fayette County, and supports engineering jobs across three states and the capital.
For the average reader, the contract shows how tax dollars fund the sensors that protect commercial shipping lanes and naval crews from mines. Mine warfare threatens the same waterways that carry oil, grain, and consumer goods, so detection tools shape the cost and safety of global trade.
This type of award has happened before. The Navy routinely funds mine countermeasure systems in staged production runs, and Advanced Acoustic Concepts has held smaller Navy work, according to navysbir.com. The scale of this order, however, sets a new company benchmark.
The Portfolio Acquisition Executive Maritime in Washington, D.C., serves as the contracting activity and will decide whether to exercise the options that could push the value to $196.2 million. A date for any option decision has not been announced.
Mine warfare has shaped naval strategy for generations, as this award reflects. During the Civil War, Confederate mines then called torpedoes sank or damaged dozens of Union vessels, prompting Rear Admiral David Farragut’s 1864 order at Mobile Bay. Farragut’s fleet pressed forward and captured the bay after losing the monitor Tecumseh to a mine, a loss that spurred the U.S. Navy to invest for decades in the mine hunting mission this contract now advances.
This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to Advanced Acoustic Concepts LLC, in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $53,943,257. It is also the 30th Department of Defense contract awarded in Pennsylvania during 2026. This is the largest contract ever awarded to Advanced Acoustic Concepts LLC, surpassing the company’s previous record of $21,202,473, and it is notable within the Navy portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Navy portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,046,496 and maximum of $8,000,000,000. Overall, this award was announced among 1 Department of Defense contract issued nationwide on August 3, 2026.
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