BAE bags gun contract for Type 26 ships
BAE Systems will supply the Maritime Indirect Fires System (MIFS) for the Type 26 Global Combat Ship under a $245 million contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), it was announced on 29 July.
BAE Systems was announced as the preferred bidder to supply the gun system in September 2015. The new signed contract will see the company provide three MIFS Integrated Gunnery Systems (IGS) and one trainer system for the Royal Navy.
The MIFS IGS includes the 5in, 62-caliber Mk 45 Mod 4 Naval Gun System, along with an automated ammunition handling system, gun fire control system, and qualified ammunition.
Deliveries are expected to begin in 2020. The contract includes an option for five additional systems for the remainder of the Royal Navy’s Type 26 fleet.
Joe Senftle, vice president and general manager of weapon systems, BAE Systems, said: ‘Our teams in the US and UK will bring unrivalled skills and expertise to the MIFS development and production. The world-leading Mk 45 will provide the Royal Navy with a proven, reliable, and highly-effective system that is adaptable to firing a wide range of today’s ammunition, as well as future, precision-guided munitions currently in development.’
The Type 26 vessels will be globally deployable and capable of undertaking a wide range of roles from high intensity warfare to humanitarian assistance, either operating independently or as part of a task group.
The ship has been designed with an acoustically quiet hull and there is flexibility in the design to allow Type 26 to be upgraded as new technology develops to ensure that it remains relevant to future requirements.
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