Improved guidance for US torpedoes
The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin an up to $425 million contract to provide guidance and control systems for the Mk 48 Mod 7 torpedo for its submarine fleet, the company announced on 25 May.
The contract is part of a five-year effort to increase the navy's inventory of its Mk 48 Mod 7 heavyweight torpedoes. Lockheed Martin will provide its guidance and control systems to improve their tracking and targeting capabilities and increase their bandwidth. This will aim to improve the counter-measure capabilities and effectiveness of the Mk 48. The acoustic array is being provided by Channel Technologies Group.
The company will provide fully integrated guidance and control system sections over several years it said. The contract includes potential production orders for over 250 torpedoes to be delivered in the next five years to the navy. These torpedoes are used by all of the navy's operational submarine classes for anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare.
The new guidance and control systems have the same section as the current heavyweight torpedoes that the company is upgrading as part of the Mk 48 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) contract that was awarded in 2011. Lockheed Martin presently delivers at least 20 Mod 7 CBASS kits every month, and is set to deliver all the kits within the contract schedule. It is also providing intermediate torpedo maintenance for fleet training.
Tom Jarbeau, MK 48 program director, Lockheed Martin, said: 'The latest guidance and control technologies for Mk 48 torpedo are thanks in part to Lockheed Martin's $10 million investment in manufacturing efficiencies, facilities, and laboratories to ensure navies can pace the threats in littoral and deep sea environments.
'We are building on our five decades of experience in undersea systems and our strong record of providing complex electronic systems to our customers on schedule and on budget.'
More from Defence Notes
-
Companies post mostly rosy results but warn of potential dark clouds
First quarter 2025 results have been dropping for companies in the past week but many of the US results come with a health warning in their forward-looking aspects about the potential impact of actions by the Trump administration.
-
Spain unveils new multi-billion euro defence investment plan
The new plan outlined how Spain would reach 2% of its GDP spend on defence by 2025, with €1.9 billion earmarked for new equipment acquisition with several land, naval and air platforms disclosed to be replaced or upgraded.
-
New Zealand boosts defence spend to US$6.6 billion and vows increased closeness with Australia
This budget will be spent over the next four years and nearly doubles the country’s defence spending as part of GDP to 2%.
-
UK Chancellor commits £2 billion to make the country a “defence industrial superpower”
Rachel Reeves announced port upgrades, protected budgets for innovation and investment in novel technologies.
-
Avalon 2025: Australian defence budget meets the low expectations of show attendees
The Australian Budget was marked by tax cuts and a looming general election which led to little hope that there would be a substantial defence boost even with a big bill for nuclear submarines due.
-
Launch of Gilat Defense targets DoD market
The communications company Gilat launched its new Gilat Defense division at the Satellite 2025 expo, with future solutions aimed at US military customers.