Raytheon awarded Phalanx work

Raytheon has been awarded a $159.9 million contract by the US Department of Defense to manufacture, inspect and test Phalanx Close-in Weapon Systems (CIWS) for the US Navy, the company announced on 23 October. 

The contract provides for an option worth $10 million in fiscal year 2015 and another option worth $291 million in fiscal year 2016.

Work includes the provision of support equipment for the Phalanx and SeaRAM weapon systems, Block 1B radar upgrades and kits for reliability, maintainability, and availability. The overhaul of four land-based Phalanx Weapon Systems will also be covered under the contract. 

The work is expected to be completed by August 2018. 

Rick Nelson, vice president, naval and area mission defense product line, Raytheon, said: ‘Phalanx provides the US Navy's ships with a 'last-chance' defense against anti-ship missiles and littoral warfare threats while SeaRAM extends that inner-layer battlespace. Close-in systems give warfighters the ability to automatically carry out functions usually performed by separate systems on other ships.’