The US Navy has placed orders with Raytheon to remanufacture, overhaul and upgrade the Phalanx Close-in Weapon Systems (CIWS), and integral part of the fleet defence in-depth concept and the ship self-defence programmes.
Under the $136.2m contract, Raytheon will provide upgrades and conversions, system overhauls and associated hardware for 19 MK15 Phalanx CIWS as well as produce four SeaRAM anti-ship missile defence systems.
The contract also has a $94.8 million option for 2014, including options for additional 12 Phalanx and four SeaRAM systems and, if exercised, this option would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $231m.
Raytheon Missile Systems naval and area mission defence product line vice-president, Rick Nelson, said: "Raytheon’s ability to remanufacture Phalanx equivalent to new manufacture condition, in appearance, operation and performance, provides a significant cost savings to our customers."
Phalanx is an automatic rapid-fire computer-controlled radar and 20mm gun system which is capable of tracking and destroying enemy threats that infiltrate into the ship’s other defence systems.
Currently deployed aboard the US Navy’s USS Independence (LCS 2) and USS Coronado (LCS 4), the SeaRAM missile has been designed to increase the inner layer battlespace range of Phalanx against emerging anti-ship missiles, rotary and fixed-wing aircraft and other threats.
Scheduled to be completed by September 2017, work under the contract will be carried out in Kentucky, California, Florida, Ohio, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Virginia, Utah and Arizona, US.
The Naval Sea Systems Command will serve as the contracting activity while the contract offers purchases for the US Navy, Japan, the US Army and Pakistan under the foreign military sales (FMS) programme.
Raytheon has developed more than 890 SeaRAM systems, which are employed in the navies of 25 nations.
Image: SeaRAM system fitted on a ship. Photo: courtesy of the US Navy.
