Lockheed Wins $100M for Next-Gen F-35 DAS Sensor

Lockheed Martin was awarded nearly $100 million to integrate Next Generation Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (DAS) into F-35 jets of the United States and its allies.

"This order provides for the integration of the Next Generation Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System into all variants of the F-35 aircraft in support of the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and non-Department of Defense (DOD) participants," the US Department of Defense said in a statement Tuesday.

The AN/AAQ-37 Electro-Optic DAS consists of six high-resolution infrared sensors mounted around the F-35's airframe in such a way as to provide unobstructed spherical (4π steradian) coverage and functions around the aircraft without any pilot input or aiming required. It provides missile detection and tracking (including launch point detection and countermeasure cueing), aircraft detection and tracking (situational awareness IRST and air-to-air weapons cueing), and creates imagery for cockpit displays and pilot night vision (imagery displayed onto the helmet mounted display).

Work for the contract is expected to be completed in July 2022.