GDMS to provide advanced electronics for US Navy’s MK 54 torpedoes under $808.6M deal

General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) has been awarded a contract from the US Navy to supply advanced electronics for the MK 54 torpedoes.

As informed, the company will produce MK 54 MOD 1 lightweight torpedo kits and related test equipment, spares, provisioned item orders, engineering support, and hardware support for the MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo Program.

Work will be performed in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by December 2032. The value of the contract is up to $808.6 million.

“Our Progeny Systems employees have been providing advanced torpedo electronics to the U.S. and allied Navies for 18 years. This contract ensures that our surface ships and aircraft will have the most modern and capable torpedoes in the world for many years to come,” said Laura Hooks, vice president and general manager of Maritime and Strategic Systems at General Dynamics Mission Systems.

Progeny Systems was acquired by General Dynamics Mission Systems in 2022. Headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, Progeny Systems provides a wide spectrum of capabilities and lifecycle support services for US submarines and surface ships.

The MK 54 lightweight torpedo is the primary anti-submarine warfare weapon used by US Navy surface ships, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Designed to operate in shallow waters and in the presence of countermeasures, it can track, classify, and attack underwater targets. 

To replace the aging fleet of torpedoes, the US Navy worked with Raytheon to design and develop an improved lightweight torpedo.

The MK 54 MOD 0 Lightweight Torpedo integrates existing torpedo hardware and software from the MK 46 and MK 50 torpedo programs with commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) digital signal-processing technology. It incorporates an advanced guidance and control (G&C) section employing COTS processing technologies and tactical software improvements, according to the US Navy.

The newest lightweight torpedo variant, the MK 54 MOD 1, provides a hardware upgrade to the sonar array assembly and associated electronics.

The MK 54 MOD 0 reached initial operational capability (IOC) in 2004, while the MK 54 MOD 1 reached IOC in 2023.