Leonardo DRS Awarded NAVAIR Contract to Produce DAIRCM Aircraft Survivability System
Three-year IDIQ contract supports production of a lightweight, integrated capability that helps protect military
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ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has awarded Leonardo DRS a three-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for low-rate initial production of the AN/AAQ-45 Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasure, or DAIRCM, aircraft survivability system.
The DRS DAIRCM system is a combat-proven lightweight aircraft survivability suite designed for small- and medium-sized aircraft with demanding size, weight and integration requirements. The integrated modular system combines advanced missile warning, directed infrared countermeasures, laser warning and hostile-fire indication to help protect aircraft and crews from surface-to-air threats in contested environments.
Under the contract, DRS will provide hardware production, aircraft integration, systems engineering, program management and associated logistics support. DAIRCM hardware will be manufactured at DRS facilities in Dallas, Texas, and San Diego, California. Aircraft-integration and logistics activities will be conducted from the company’s Fort Walton Beach, Florida site.
To date DAIRCM has been deployed on aircraft operating under a Joint Urgent Operational Need Statement. The low-rate initial production award follows the program’s Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase, during which DRS incorporated capability and producibility enhancements into the system configuration.
“This award moves the DRS DAIRCM System into low-rate initial production and expands our ability to provide critical integrated aircraft survivability capabilities to our military customers,” said John Baylouny, president and chief executive officer of Leonardo DRS. “We are proud to help address evolving aircraft survivability requirements and to enhance crew protection with a cost-effective advanced integrated capability.”
The DAIRCM program expands DRS’s aircraft survivability portfolio with an integrated capability designed for increasingly complex threat environments. It addresses the increasing evolution and proliferation of threats to airborne platforms.
For more information about DRS aircraft sensing and aircraft survivability technologies, visit Leonardo DRS Aircraft Sensing.
About Leonardo DRS
Leonardo DRS, Inc. (Nasdaq: DRS) is at the forefront of developing transformative defense technologies using its proven agility and delivering innovative solutions for U.S. national security customers and allies worldwide. We specialize in rapidly providing high-performance, multi-domain capabilities across next-generation advanced sensing, network computing, force protection, and electric power and propulsion. Our reputation as a trusted provider is built on a continuous focus on practical innovation, delivering quality, and meeting our customers’ most demanding mission requirements. For further information on our complete range of capabilities, visit www.LeonardoDRS.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Those statements reflect current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements which include contract values, contract performance and our development and production of products are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Investor Relations Contact:
Camilla Yanushevsky
Director, Investor Relations
+1 571 309 8216
investorrelations@drs.com
Media Contact:
Charles Jones
Director, Marketing & Corporate Communications
+1 571 737 8800
charles.jones@drs.com
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