The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon a $27.9 million contract to provide the provide a new variable depth sonar solution for the littoral combat ship class.
According to Raytheon, the contract follows a study and product assessment phase during which Raytheon proved the solution’s features and capabilities met all of the Navy’s design and performance requirements.
The VDS is part of the anti-submarine warfare mission package that will be used on littoral combat ships to locate and track enemy submarines.
Raytheon says this ship-deployed sonar system design, identical for both LCS variants, features reduced weight to minimize ship impact, increased maneuverability and it provides the opportunity for increased warfighting payloads. Ease of operation improves crew efficiency and operational effectiveness. These features were validated by the fleet sailors who operated the system at a full-scale demonstration at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in August 2016.
Now under contract, Raytheon will advance its design to a full pre-production test article, expected to be complete in late 2018. The contract includes options for production which, if exercised, brings total contract value to more than $300 million.