Dayton T. Brown Inc. has received a $55.84 million U.S. Navy contract modification to procure five P-8 Ground Systems and 21 Fly-Away Kits in support of the P-8A Poseidon Mobile Mission Systems mission.
According to the U.S. Department of War contract announcement dated September 21, 2026, the $55,838,189 modification, designated P00029, was issued against order N0042124F0184 under basic ordering agreement N0042123G0005. The action also exercises options for continued Mobile Mission Systems support.
Takeaways
Key facts from the contract announcement
1. $55.8 Million Navy Modification
Dayton T. Brown Inc. received a $55,838,189 modification to an existing order supporting the P-8A Mobile Mission Systems mission.
2. Five Ground Systems and 21 Fly-Away Kits
The modification establishes a new material contract line item for five P-8 Ground Systems and 21 Fly-Away Kits, alongside continued MMS support.
The work is scheduled to be performed in Hollywood, Maryland, with completion expected in March 2027. The modification was not competitively procured.
Scope of the P-8A Mobile Mission Systems Contract
The modification establishes a new material contract line item within the existing order for five P-8 Ground Systems and 21 Fly-Away Kits.
The Navy said the materials will support system and subsystem modifications, upgrades, integration, and capability and capacity growth associated with the P-8A Mobile Mission Systems mission.
The action also includes options for continued MMS support, extending the contractor’s role beyond the procurement of the new equipment.
The announcement does not provide a detailed breakdown of the five ground systems or 21 Fly-Away Kits, including their individual configurations, hardware components, deployment arrangements, or unit prices.
That distinction is important because the $55.84 million figure covers the modification as a whole. The announcement does not establish an individual price for each ground system or kit.
P-8A Poseidon Technical and Operational Context
The P-8A Poseidon is the U.S. Navy’s multimission maritime patrol aircraft, based on the Boeing 737-800 platform. Its missions include anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, maritime domain awareness, and search and rescue. Boeing identifies the aircraft’s mission system as an integrated architecture supporting radar, electronic support measures, communications, data links, acoustic sensors, and other mission equipment.
The aircraft is designed to operate as part of a wider maritime surveillance network rather than as an isolated platform. Its mission systems allow crews to collect, process, and share information during maritime patrol and reconnaissance missions.
Ground-based mission systems therefore form an important part of the wider P-8 operational architecture. The specific equipment included in the Dayton T. Brown modification is not fully described in the contract announcement, but the stated work scope shows that the procurement is intended to support modifications, upgrades, integration, and additional capability and capacity.
Boeing also describes the P-8 as using an open mission systems architecture intended to support technology insertion and future upgrades. In August 2026, Boeing and Northrop Grumman announced a demonstration involving P-8A and MQ-4C Triton teaming using Open Mission Systems and the Universal Command and Control Interface.
That broader modernization approach provides context for why deployable ground equipment and mission-support systems can remain relevant as the aircraft’s software, sensors, communications, and networking capabilities evolve.
Operational Impact on U.S. Navy Maritime Patrol Missions
The P-8A is a central component of the Navy’s maritime patrol and reconnaissance force. The aircraft is commonly used for anti-submarine warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, while also supporting anti-surface warfare and search-and-rescue operations.
The new ground systems and fly-away kits are intended to support the mission systems environment surrounding those aircraft. The contract announcement specifically identifies modifications, upgrades, integration, and capability and capacity growth as supported activities.
From an operational perspective, deployable mission-support equipment can provide flexibility for aircraft operating away from permanent infrastructure. However, the announcement does not specify where the five ground systems or 21 Fly-Away Kits will be deployed, which Navy units will receive them, or how the equipment will be distributed.
The contract therefore should not be interpreted as establishing a specific new deployment location or operational concept.
Contract Breakdown: Dayton T. Brown Award Details
Contract Value
The modification is valued at $55,838,189.
The full amount is represented by three fiscal-year funding sources:
- $55,684,474 in fiscal 2024 Aircraft Procurement, Navy funds
- $152,215 in fiscal 2025 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy funds
- $1,500 in fiscal 2026 Operations and Maintenance, Navy funds
Together, those obligations total $55,838,189.
The announcement identifies these amounts as funds obligated at the time of award. They should not be confused with the ceiling value of the underlying basic ordering agreement.
Contractor
The contractor is Dayton T. Brown Inc., based in Bohemia, New York.
NAVAIR identifies Dayton T. Brown as a small business supporting naval aviation through engineering, testing, technical publications, mobile secure facilities, logistics, prototyping, manufacturing, and system support. Its Pax River area facilities include operations in Hollywood, Maryland.
Contract Type
The action is a modification to an existing order, rather than a standalone new contract.
It is identified as modification P00029 to order N0042124F0184, issued against basic ordering agreement N0042123G0005.
The announcement does not identify the underlying order as firm-fixed-price, cost-plus, or another specific pricing arrangement. Therefore, no specific contract pricing type should be inferred from the announcement.
Work Locations
The contract work will be performed in Hollywood, Maryland.
The announcement identifies March 2027 as the expected completion date.
Performance Period
Work is expected to be completed in March 2027.
The announcement does not provide individual delivery dates for the five P-8 Ground Systems or 21 Fly-Away Kits.
Funding
The modification is funded through three Navy appropriations:
| Fiscal Year | Appropriation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | Aircraft Procurement, Navy | $55,684,474 |
| FY2025 | Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy | $152,215 |
| FY2026 | Operations and Maintenance, Navy | $1,500 |
| Total | Current modification | $55,838,189 |
Options or Follow-On Work
The modification exercises options for continued Mobile Mission Systems support.
The announcement does not disclose the value of the exercised options separately from the total modification value, nor does it provide a detailed description of the option periods.
Dayton T. Brown Defense Industrial Base and Acquisition Impact
The award illustrates how P-8A modernization extends beyond the aircraft itself.
As the Navy upgrades mission systems, supporting infrastructure must also accommodate new hardware, software, integration requirements, and operational configurations. The contract’s reference to system and subsystem modifications, upgrades, integration, and capability and capacity growth indicates that the effort is tied to this broader support environment.
Dayton T. Brown’s role also reflects the contribution of specialized small businesses to naval aviation programs. NAVAIR lists the company as a small business and identifies capabilities spanning engineering, testing, technical publications, logistics, prototyping, manufacturing, and system support.
The procurement was not competitively procured. The announcement does not state the specific statutory or regulatory basis for that procurement decision, so no further conclusion about the acquisition rationale can be drawn from the available notice.
Program Milestones and Next Steps
The immediate milestone is procurement and delivery of the five P-8 Ground Systems and 21 Fly-Away Kits, together with continued MMS support under the modified order.
Work is expected to continue through March 2027.
The contract notice does not provide additional milestones for system integration, testing, fielding, or operational acceptance. Those activities should therefore not be assumed to have specific dates based solely on this award.
The broader P-8 program continues to evolve. Boeing states that the P-8’s open mission systems architecture is designed to support future technology insertion, while recent work with the MQ-4C Triton has demonstrated efforts to expand standards-based manned-unmanned teaming and mission interoperability.
For the Navy, the relevance of the Dayton T. Brown modification is therefore primarily in maintaining and expanding the mission-support infrastructure that allows the P-8A’s mission systems to be modified and integrated as the platform evolves.
