Army Awards Longbow LLC $419.6M Apache Radar Contract Through 2032

The U.S. Army has awarded Longbow LLC a $419.6 million contract for AN/APG-78 Longbow Fire Control Radar systems and post-production support for AH-64D/E Apache attack helicopters. The award, announced October 26, 2026, carries an estimated completion date of January 31, 2032, giving the defense industrial base a multiyear horizon for order activity tied to one of the Army's most fielded rotary-wing sensor systems. The contract combines cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and firm-fixed-price terms, a mixed pricing structure that reflects both development-adjacent support work and production deliverables. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity, and the award is tracked under contract number W58RGZ-27-D-A008.

The AN/APG-78 is a mast-mounted millimeter-wave radar that enables Apache aircrews to detect, locate, classify, and prioritize targets. Operating in the Ka frequency band, the system is engineered for a low probability of detection and interception, allowing the aircraft to sense threats while minimizing its own emissions signature. The radar supports ground, air, and maritime targeting, terrain profiling, and target-location cueing for the Apache's Modernized Target Acquisition Designation System (M-TADS). According to Northrop Grumman, the radar can detect, locate, and classify up to 256 moving and stationary targets simultaneously, prioritizing the top 16 for aircrew evaluation. Published specifications list a detection range of up to 16 kilometers and operation in adverse weather and battlefield obscurants. The Longbow system pairs active radar with a passive Radar Frequency Interferometer (RFI) that detects and identifies radio-frequency emissions, combining both sensors to support target detection and situational awareness while cueing the Apache's electro-optical targeting system.

For GovCon suppliers, the most consequential detail is that the contract will determine work locations and funding as individual orders are placed. That structure means the award does not lock in specific sites, dollar allocations, or subcontracting packages at the outset. Instead, it establishes a vehicle through which the Army can issue orders over roughly five and a half years. For Apache radar suppliers and potential subcontractors, the practical implication is that opportunity identification will be an ongoing process tied to each order rather than a single, upfront competition. Companies positioned in the Longbow supply chain — from Ka-band radar components and millimeter-wave electronics to RFI subsystems, mast-mounted hardware, and post-production support services — should monitor order activity and prime-contractor demand signals throughout the period of performance.

Longbow LLC is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, a structure that has historically concentrated Apache fire-control radar production and sustainment between two of the largest U.S. defense primes. That joint-venture arrangement matters for market analysis: subcontracting and teaming opportunities will likely flow through one or both parent companies, and suppliers should track both primes' Apache-related procurement portals and supplier engagement channels. The 16-kilometer detection range, 256-target tracking capacity, and adverse-weather performance of the AN/APG-78 also underscore the system's continued relevance to Army aviation modernization, particularly as Apaches operate in multi-domain environments such as Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026, where 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, 7th Infantry Division (Multi-Domain Command - Pacific) aircrews employed the platform in a sinking exercise.

The mixed pricing arrangements in this award are worth noting for capture and pricing teams. Cost-no-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee elements typically correspond to support, engineering, and sustainment activities where costs are less predictable, while firm-fixed-price terms generally apply to defined production deliverables. Suppliers evaluating teaming or bidding strategies should map their offerings against these categories and anticipate that order-level pricing may vary. Because funding is determined order by order, financial planning around this contract requires monitoring Army obligation announcements and prime task-order releases rather than relying on a single award value.

With an end date of January 31, 2032, the contract offers a long runway for firms that secure positions in the Longbow industrial base. The Army's continued investment in Apache fire-control radar sustainment signals enduring demand for Ka-band radar expertise, millimeter-wave component manufacturing, RFI technology, and M-TADS integration support. For small and mid-sized suppliers, the most actionable path is to engage Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman supply chain organizations early and maintain awareness of Army Contracting Command order postings tied to contract W58RGZ-27-D-A008.

• U.S. Army awarded Longbow LLC a $419.6 million contract for AN/APG-78 Longbow fire-control radars and post-production support for AH-64D/E Apache helicopters.
• Contract combines cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and firm-fixed-price terms, with estimated completion by January 31, 2032.
• Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity; contract number W58RGZ-27-D-A008.
• Work locations and funding will be determined as individual orders are placed, creating rolling subcontracting opportunities for Apache radar supply chain firms.
• Longbow LLC is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, concentrating award flow through two major defense primes.
• The AN/APG-78 operates in the Ka band with low probability of detection/interception, detecting up to 256 targets simultaneously and prioritizing the top 16.
• Published specs list detection range up to 16 kilometers, with operation in adverse weather and battlefield obscurants.
• The radar pairs with a passive Radar Frequency Interferometer and cues the Apache's Modernized Target Acquisition Designation System.
• The system supports ground, air, and maritime targeting, terrain profiling, and target-location cueing for multi-domain missions.