Mercury Systems awarded a $165M contract for secure mission system flight data recorders from U.S. Air Force

Mercury Systems, Inc. announced it received a $165 million firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract award from the U.S. Air Force for secure flight data recorders in support of the secure mission data systems (SMDS) on the service’s F-16 fleet. These flight data recorders will help provide improved performance, security, and reliability for the F-16’s current and future mission needs. The award received in the Company’s fiscal 2022 third quarter included an initial $16.4 million order and has a 72-month planned performance and shipment period.

Why It Matters

“Our defense customers are looking for solutions that minimize cost, reduce program risk and deliver proven performance and reliability,” said Brian Perry, EVP, and president, Mercury Processing. “As an independent domestic supplier of key defense-grade microelectronics, they depend on us to provide the purpose-built technology they need to meet their challenges, and we look forward to working as a trusted partner to deliver systems that protect individuals and communities around the world.”

Mercury was able to showcase an elegant solution that merged two systems into one. This unique value allowed the DoD to proceed without modification to any existing software on the F-16, while significantly advancing system functionality. Additionally, the new solution provides open system architecture elements aligned to the government’s open systems mandate that offers a growth path to address future mission needs quickly and cost-effectively.