The systems are intended to support the survivability of aviation platforms across the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Special Operations Command. They will also support allied nations through Foreign Military Sales.
The contract includes provisions to reopen and execute three years of production at the Alloy Surfaces Company facility in Chester, Pennsylvania. The facility was closed in 2025, according to the release.
The agreement also details the transfer of key intellectual property to the U.S. government. The release described the move as historic and said it is intended to safeguard future production capabilities.
The Honorable Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, said: “Pyrophoric countermeasures are critical for the safe and effective performance of our warfighters. The investments we are making today will secure our supply chain for these critical items, and set the stage for future manufacturing innovation.”
The contract is backed by a three-year Defense Production Act purchase commitment valued at up to $105 million. The release said the commitment is a crucial part of the broader effort to secure production of the countermeasures.
The project will be executed through two awards. The first is a modification to the current production IDIQ contract, funded by the services, for delivery of aviation expendable pyrophoric countermeasure products.
The second award is an Other Transaction Agreement awarded by Army Contracting Command – Rock Island. It is funded by the Department of War’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program and will cover the purchase of intellectual property, the restart of the production facility and production technical support.
The release said the milestone was supported by a broad coalition of defense organizations. These included the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, the War Department’s Industrial Base Council and Joint Energetics Transition Office, Program Acquisition Executive, Agile Sustainment and Ammunition, Capability Portfolio Executive for Ammunition and Energetics, and Project Manager Close Combat Systems.
The coalition also included the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command. The award links near-term countermeasure production with longer-term steps intended to protect supply chains and future manufacturing capacity.
