U.S. Navy contract for 23 JPALS won by Raytheon
NewsJune 17, 2019
PARIS AIR SHOW. Raytheon won a four-year $234 million contract from the U.S. Navy to outfit all of its nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships with 23 Joint Precision Approach and Landing Systems (JPALS).
Since 2018, U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fighter pilots have been using JPALS, a GPS-based precision landing system, to guide them onto the USS Wasp amphibious assault ship during deployed operations in extreme conditions.
Proof-of-concept events executed earlier this year showed how the GPS-based system could be reconfigured into a mobile version to support landings in a traditional airport setting, say company officials. Expeditionary JPALS fits in five transit cases and could be repackaged for various small transit vehicles transportable by C-130. Once on the ground, the system can be operational in under 90 minutes.
