SALINA — Employees at Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (NYSE: LMT) Salina plant will handle production of surface electronic-warfare improvement program (SEWIP) block 2 systems for the U.S. Navy. It awarded the Bethesda, Maryland–based defense contractor an initial contract of $148.9 million for its shipboard electronic-warfare system. The deal with the firm also includes four additional option […]
SALINA — Employees at Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (NYSE: LMT) Salina plant will handle production of surface electronic-warfare improvement program (SEWIP) block 2 systems for the U.S. Navy.
It awarded the Bethesda, Maryland–based defense contractor an initial contract of $148.9 million for its shipboard electronic-warfare system.
The deal with the firm also includes four additional option years to upgrade the fleet’s electronic-warfare capabilities so ships can respond to “evolving threats,” Lockheed Martin said in a news release issued Oct. 6.
Under the “full-rate production” contract, Lockheed Martin will provide additional systems to upgrade the AN/SLQ-32 systems on U.S. aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and other warships with key capabilities.
The effort will help to determine if the electronic sensors of “potential foes” are tracking the ship, the defense contractor added.
“The SEWIP Block 2 System is critically important to the Navy’s operation, and we are proud to continue to provide this capability to the warfighter,” Joe Ottaviano, electronic warfare program director, said in the release. “Threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Our electronic-warfare systems give the warfighter information to enable a response before the adversary even knows we’re there.”
The system is the first sensor to be “fully compliant” with the Navy’s product-line architecture strategy, which “facilitates the rapid introduction” of new technology into the fleet, Lockheed Martin said.
Block 2 provides an upgraded antenna, receiver, and “improved interface” with existing ship-combat systems.
Lockheed Martin describes Block 2 as the “latest deployed improvement in an evolutionary succession of ‘blocks’ that the Navy is pursuing for its shipboard electronic-warfare system, which will incrementally add new defensive technologies and functional capabilities.”
The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin the design and development contract for this program in September 2009.
Since then, it’s awarded the defense contractor a low rate initial production (LRIP) contract for an additional 38 units, 22 of which have been delivered to the Navy “on schedule so far,” the company said.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
