War Contracts

Laurel Technologies Wins $32 Million Navy Radar Deal for Destroyers

The Largo, Florida, defense contractor will supply additional AN/SPQ-9B radar systems for three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers under a $32 million contract modification, with work due by July 2028.

First Published: July 30, 2026, 1:27 PM ET

LARGO, FLORIDA — Laurel Technologies Partnership, a Largo, Florida, defense electronics maker and a subsidiary of Italy’s Leonardo SPA, won a $32 million Navy contract modification to build more shipboard radar systems, as announced on war.gov.

The firm-fixed-price award exercises options on a prior contract to procure additional AN/SPQ-9B radar systems for three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, DDG 147 through 149, according to war.gov. Fiscal 2025 shipbuilding and conversion funds of $32 million will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

The modification counts as the second contract awarded to Laurel Technologies Partnership in 2026, lifting the company’s total contract value for the year to $53,442,145, according to govtribe.com. It also stands as the largest contract ever awarded to the firm, surpassing a previous record of $21.4 million.

The AN/SPQ-9B is a surface-search and air-defense radar designed to detect low-flying anti-ship cruise missiles skimming above the sea. Installed on Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the system feeds targeting data into the ships’ combat network. The added units strengthen the Navy’s layered missile defenses at a time when the fleet faces expanding threats from drones and cruise missiles.

The deal benefits Laurel Technologies and its Largo workforce, where the systems will be built, and supports the shipyards assembling the newest destroyers. Taxpayers carry the cost through Navy shipbuilding accounts. Work will be performed in Largo, Florida, and is expected to be completed by July 2028, according to war.gov.

The award ranks modestly within the Navy’s 2026 spending. It falls between the service’s year-to-date minimum of $9 million and a maximum of $8 billion, according to govtribe.com. The contract also marked the 53rd Department of Defense award in Florida during 2026, and it was one of 12 defense contracts issued nationwide on July 30, 2026.

For the average reader, the transaction shows how Navy modernization dollars flow to a single Florida plant. Radar procurement rarely touches daily life directly, yet these systems protect warships and the sailors aboard them, and they sustain skilled manufacturing jobs across the Tampa Bay region.

This has happened before. The Navy has repeatedly exercised options on the same base contract, N00024-24-C-5539, to add AN/SPQ-9B units as new destroyers enter production, according to war.gov. Each modification tracks the pace of destroyer construction rather than opening a new competition.

Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C., serves as the contracting activity and will oversee delivery and any further option exercises. A date for the next award decision tied to this program has not been announced.

Radar has decided naval battles as often as guns, as history shows. British warships fitted with early Type 79 radar detected German aircraft over the North Sea in 1939, according to britannica.com. At the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941, radar-equipped Royal Navy ships surprised an Italian fleet in darkness and sank three heavy cruisers without loss, according to britannica.com. The commander who trusted those sets, Admiral Andrew Cunningham, turned a night ambush into one of the most lopsided naval victories of the war.

This contract represents the 2nd contract awarded to Laurel Technologies Partnership, in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $53,442,145. It is also the 53rd Department of Defense contract awarded in Florida during 2026. This is the largest contract ever awarded to Laurel Technologies Partnership, surpassing the company’s previous record of $21,410,959, and it is notable within the Navy portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Navy portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,046,496 and maximum of $8,000,000,000. Overall, this award was announced among 12 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 30, 2026.