Lockheed Martin Corp. has received a $73.86 million contract modification to procure, test and deliver Indra Rigel radar electronic countermeasures systems for four Multi-Mission Surface Combatant ships being built for Saudi Arabia. The award, announced Aug. 12, 2026, is being executed under the existing N00024-18-C-2301 contract, with the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair, Bath, Maine, serving as the contracting activity.
The modification is funded entirely through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Work will be performed primarily in Madrid, Spain, accounting for 96% of the effort, while 4% will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey. Completion is scheduled for February 2031.
Takeaways
Lockheed Martin receives a major Saudi MMSC electronic warfare modification
1. $73.9 Million Contract Modification
Lockheed Martin has received a $73.86 million modification to contract N00024-18-C-2301 for procurement, testing and delivery of Indra Rigel radar electronic countermeasures systems.
2. Four Saudi MMSC Ships
The systems are intended for MMSC 1 through MMSC 4, the four Multi-Mission Surface Combatants being delivered to the Royal Saudi Naval Forces under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program.
3. Electronic Warfare Focus
Indra’s Rigel family is designed to monitor the electromagnetic environment, detect radar emissions and support identification and classification of potential threats, strengthening a ship’s electronic situational awareness.
4. Work Runs Through February 2031
The modification allocates 96% of the work to Madrid, Spain, with the remaining 4% performed in Moorestown, New Jersey. Completion is expected in February 2031.
5. Saudi FMS Funding
The full $73.86 million obligation comes from Foreign Military Sales funding for Saudi Arabia and does not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
Electronic Warfare Adds a Critical Layer to Saudi MMSC Survivability
The Indra Rigel system is part of the electromagnetic warfare architecture intended for the Saudi MMSC fleet. Indra announced in 2024 that its Rigel electronic support system would be installed aboard the four Saudi MMSCs to detect and analyze radar signals, identify emitting platforms and classify threats. The company describes the system as providing information that can improve situational awareness and ship survivability in contested environments.
This capability is particularly important for a surface combatant operating in an increasingly dense electromagnetic environment. Modern naval forces rely heavily on radar for surveillance, targeting and fire control, meaning radar emissions can also provide valuable information about the location and activity of other platforms. An electronic support system can passively collect those emissions without requiring the ship to transmit its own signal, helping commanders build an electronic picture of the surrounding battlespace.
Indra’s Rigel family combines radar electronic support measures and radar electronic countermeasures capabilities. The company’s published material on Rigel describes broadband digital reception, high sensitivity, detection and classification of radar emissions, direction finding, and electronic attack functions capable of disrupting or deceiving hostile systems.
The distinction between electronic support and electronic countermeasures is important. Electronic support measures primarily provide detection, identification, classification and direction-finding information. Electronic countermeasures add the ability to interfere with or otherwise degrade an adversary’s electromagnetic systems. Public documentation concerning the Saudi MMSC program has described the broader Indra EW architecture in terms of electronic surveillance, electronic protection and electronic attack, while congressional records have also noted limitations on integration with the ship’s combat management system and access to U.S. threat-library information.
The MMSC itself is derived from the Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship design and was selected by Saudi Arabia for a four-ship program. Lockheed Martin identifies the MMSC as a highly maneuverable surface combatant designed for both littoral and open-ocean operations.
Contract Breakdown & Financial Allocation
$73.86 Million Modification
- Contractor: Lockheed Martin Corp., Baltimore, Maryland
- Contract: N00024-18-C-2301
- Modification value: $73,864,423
- Contract structure: Firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee
- Award date: Aug. 12, 2026
- Customer: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program
- Platforms: MMSC 1 through MMSC 4
- Scope: Procurement, testing and delivery of Indra Rigel radar electronic countermeasures systems
- Expected completion: February 2031
Workshare
- Madrid, Spain: 96%
- Moorestown, New Jersey: 4%
The geographic split reflects the industrial structure of the system. Indra is headquartered in Spain and is responsible for the principal Rigel electronic warfare work, while Lockheed Martin’s Moorestown operation provides a U.S. integration and program role.
Indra previously confirmed that it was working with Lockheed Martin and Saudi industry partner SAMI-AEC on the Saudi naval program. The company also has experience supplying Rigel electronic warfare equipment to other naval customers, including Germany’s K130 corvettes.
Foreign Military Sales Funding
The entire $73.86 million obligation is funded through the Foreign Military Sales program for Saudi Arabia. The funds are obligated at the time of award and do not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
The modification is part of the much larger MMSC acquisition effort. The underlying N00024-18-C-2301 contract covers design and construction of four Saudi MMSC ships and has received multiple modifications since its original award. Earlier contract actions included long-lead material, detail design and construction, engineering support and propulsion-system sparing.
Industry Impact & Acquisition Insight
The contract structure divides financial risk between the two pricing mechanisms. The firm-fixed-price portion generally places greater cost risk on the contractor because the government agrees to a set price for defined deliverables. The cost-plus-fixed-fee portion reimburses allowable costs and provides a negotiated fixed fee, giving the contractor more protection against uncertain engineering or support costs while retaining government oversight of expenditures.
For Lockheed Martin, the modification reinforces its position as the U.S. prime responsible for integrating major systems across the Saudi MMSC program. For Indra, it expands the company’s role as a naval electronic warfare supplier within a U.S.-led Foreign Military Sales program and builds on its earlier work with Saudi naval platforms. Indra has previously supplied Rigel equipment for Saudi Arabia’s Avante 2200 corvettes.
The timing also reflects a broader shift in naval survivability requirements. Surface combatants increasingly must operate while exposed to persistent radar surveillance, electronic intelligence collection, anti-ship missile threats, unmanned systems and long-range precision weapons. In that environment, electromagnetic awareness is not simply a supporting function. It is part of the ship’s ability to understand the threat environment, manage its own emissions and respond to hostile sensors.
For Saudi Arabia, the Rigel installation adds another layer to the combat-system architecture of its four MMSC ships as the Royal Saudi Naval Forces continue modernizing their surface fleet. The four vessels are designed for coastal and open-ocean operations and measure approximately 118 meters in length, with a stated range of about 5,000 nautical miles.
