Digital Control Panel_DCP_JA phase II Signed FINAL redacted_Redacted FINAL (002).pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER AIRCRAFT DIVISION

21983 BUNDY ROAD BUILDING 441

PATUXENT RIVER, MD 20670

J&A Number: 26-0143

JUSTIFICATION AND APPROVAL

FOR USE OF OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN

COMPETITION

1. Contracting Activity

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Patuxent River, MD

2. Description of the Action Being Approved.

This Justification & Approval (J&A) authorizes and approves award of a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract modification on a sole source basis to Raytheon Technologies Corporation (RTX) of Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, for the purchase of four (4) APX-119 Digital Control Panel (DCP) software field load kits, part number E6715255-0505, in support of the Adversary and Specialized Aircraft Program Office, (PMA-226) Integrated Product Team (IPT) for the Department of Navy’s (DON) Adversary F-5F/N Aircraft.

3. Description of Supplies/Services.

This contract action will provide for phase two of a planned two-phase procurement strategy for revision to the APX-119 Digital Control Panel (DCP) which will improve the speed and ease of manipulation of the control panel interface; thus, reducing heads-down time during flight.

The APX-119 DCP design, qualification, and delivery of a software revision for use on current in-service United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) F-5N/F aircraft to control transponder settings, was performed under Phase 1. Phase two herein will modify contract N0042125C0053 to add the acquisition of four (4) DCP software field load kits, part number E6715255-0505, consisting of interface/loading software and installation cable kits, enabling the fleet to load the APX-119 DCP software to the DCP at the Organizational or Intermediate Level of maintenance as required.

The total duration of this contract modification is anticipated to be for twelve (12) months. The total estimated value of this contract action is and is anticipated to be funded as set forth in the table below.

Estimated Dollar Value Appropriation Value FY

National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account

(NGREA)

4. Statutory Authority Permitting Other Than Full and Open Competition.

10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1), Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.

5. Rationale Justifying Use of Cited Statutory Authority.

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.103-1(c)(2)(i), the Government determined the requirement listed above to be available only through the original source and award to any other source would result in substantial duplication of costs to the Government that are not expected to be recovered through competition in fulfilling the USG requirements. This is a follow-on phase two requirement to contract N0042125C0053 which was awarded on a sole source basis to RTX. The APX-119 DCP design, to include the interface/loading software and installation kit, is proprietary to RTX and the Government has limited data rights. RTX has the requisite knowledge, technical capability, and technical data package (TDP) necessary for the manufacture and delivery of the F-5F/N APX-119 DCP interface/loading software and software field load kits.

A source other than the OEM would be limited to: Reverse engineering the interface/loading software and the software field load kit; Replacing the entire APX-119 subsystem with an alternative transponder subsystem and install kit; or design and install a new transponder subsystem and software install kit. Reverse engineering the software, to be used with the install kits, would increase coding requirements (and therefore development and kit production costs) at ~$7M based on the Government’s estimate. Replacing the subsystem altogether would duplicate the cost of the original APX-119 installation on F-5 aircraft, plus the cost of hardware and required software modifications, estimated at $12M based on the Government’s estimate;

designing and installing a new transponder subsystem would also add significant Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) and testing costs to this ($22M based on the Government’s estimate).

Therefore, any attempt to use a source other than the OEM would result in substantial duplication of cost to the Government that would not be recoverable through competition.

6. Description of Efforts Made to Solicit Offers from as Many Offerors as Practicable.

The proposed contract action with the Government’s intent to award a sole-source contract modification to RTX was posted with a sources sought notice on the SAM.gov website on 14 April, 2026, followed by a synopsis posted on 26 May 2026, in accordance with FAR 5.201 and DFARS PGI 206.104-71. No responses were received by the Government in response to these notices. No additional market research was conducted because it is not practicable for the reasons discussed in paragraph 5 above, for any company other than RTX to meet the documented requirements.

7. Determination of Fair and Reasonable Cost.

The Contracting Officer has determined the anticipated cost of the requirement to the Government of the supplies covered by this J&A will be fair and reasonable.

8. Actions to Remove Barriers to Future Competition.

For the reasons set forth in Paragraph 5, NAWCAD has no plans at this time to compete future contracts for the supplies covered by this J&A. NAWCAD will continually monitor future source availability to assess whether a competition for future requirements is feasible.

As this is a follow-on for supplies previously awarded on a non-competitive basis, in accordance with DFARS 206.104-71, the prior J&A was provided to the approval authority for review.

Approval of this J&A signifies the approval authority has made the determination required by

DFARS 206.104-72.