Raytheon
Company has been awarded a $45.3 million U.S. Navy contract to provide
MK 54 lightweight torpedo hardware, test equipment, spares and related
engineering and repair services for U.S. fleet inventory and in support
of foreign military sales to the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian
Navy. The award represents an exercised option of a current Navy contract
for MK 54 torpedo kits.
"As enemy submarines remain a threat to security, stability and
access to the world's oceans, naval forces worldwide require a reliable
and effective undersea warfare weapon," said Kevin Peppe, vice
president of Seapower Capability Systems for Raytheon's Integrated Defense
Systems business. "Together with the U.S. Navy, we continue to
advance the development of the world's most effective lightweight torpedo,
delivering its proven capabilities to meet the anti-submarine warfare
needs of U.S. and allied fleets."
Raytheon is the U.S. Navy's sole production supplier for MK 54
lightweight torpedo hardware, in production since 1999. With an established
infrastructure and experienced workforce co-located with the Naval Undersea
Warfare Center, Keyport, Wash., the company works directly with the
Navy to meet the lightweight torpedo requirements of U.S. and allied
fleets. |
The MK 54
The MK 54 is the Navy's next-generation anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon
deployed from surface ships, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to detect
and attack underwater targets. Sophisticated processing algorithms allow
the MK 54 to analyze the information, edit out false targets or countermeasures,
and pursue identified threats. The MK 54 is designed for both deep water
and littoral environments, making it the only lightweight torpedo capable
of striking any underwater target in the world's oceans, regardless of
water depth.
Integrated onboard the MH-60R maritime helicopter, the MK 54 is the primary
weapon for the helicopter's ASW mission. Most recently, the U.S. Navy
successfully launched the first MK 54 lightweight torpedo from the P-8A
Poseidon aircraft. The torpedo adds a critical capability to these long-range
ASW, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
aircraft, which will be capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations. |
P-8A
successfully launches first MK-54 during weapon test