BAE Systems to supply additional AGS to US Navy

BAE Systems will deliver two more Advanced Gun Systems (AGS) to the US Navy under an $80.3 million modification contract award announced on 28 November. The AGS will be installed on the latest in the Zumwalt class destroyer fleet, the DDG 1002.

The AGS is a 155mm, vertically loaded gun mount that is capable of storing, programming and firing the Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP). It is a fully automated weapon system that can fire 10 rounds per minute with ranges greater than 60 nautical miles.

The AGS rounds are drawn from a fully-automated, below-deck weapon handling and storage system holding up to 300 rounds. According to NAE Systems, by eliminating the need for personnel in the magazine, the AGS design supports the US Navy's goals to significantly reduce overall crew requirements and increase crew safety.

Dave Johnson, director of the DDG 1000 programme for BAE Systems, said: ‘This contract demonstrates the progress made on the DDG 1000 programme with the integration of AGS technology onto now a third DDG 1000 destroyer. The AGS is critical in supporting the US Navy and Marine Corps’ expeditionary and joint operations against a wide range of littoral and deep inland targets’.

BAE Systems recently completed a series of successful gun fire tests of the 155-mm LRLAP as part of ongoing testing at White Sands Missile Range. The purpose of the tests was to evaluate the performance of the LRLAP tactical rocket motors at ambient, cold and hot temperatures, and to test the live fire performance of the tactical warhead. The tests demonstrated that achieving accurate long-range fires through rocket-assisted, gun-launched, and Global Positioning System (GPS) guided projectiles can be done reliably and affordably while providing the desired effects on target. All test requirements were met or exceeded. BAE Systems’ next step is a Critical Design Review for the LRLAP, which is expected to occur in December 2012.

To date, BAE Systems has designed, built and integrated four AGS for the first two DDG 1000 destroyers in the Zumwalt class fleet. This contract marks the third destroyer to receive AGS applications and brings the total funding of the initial contract for this ship, first awarded in October 2011, to $149 million.