UK’s $1 billion AUKUS support request signals strong ongoing US collaboration
The latest foreign military sales request from the UK has implications for the future of the programme and collaboration between the three nations.
Aegis-equipped Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Hopper. (Photo: DVIDS)
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems will produce more Mk 82 guided-missile directors and Mk 200 director control units used by the USN in the Aegis Weapon System.
Work on the $9.16 million order from Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), issued under an IDIQ contract first awarded in March 2020, is scheduled to finish in November 2025.
The twin-axis Mk 82 director positions the Aegis fire-control system antenna to a commanded and stabilised in order to illuminate the target.
The Mk 200 director control houses elevation and solid-state servo-amplifiers that produce the signals to position the director to the target position.
Both the Mk 82 and Mk 200 are components of the Mk 99 missile fire-control system for the Aegis Weapon System, which is installed aboard USN Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
The latest foreign military sales request from the UK has implications for the future of the programme and collaboration between the three nations.
The USCG plans to award a contract this year for the construction of Homeland Security Cutters. The new vessels will replace the 60-plus-year-old fleet of Light Icebreaking Tugs.
The expansion of the Redstone facility in Alabama will enable Raytheon to increase production of Standard Missiles in the location by 50% and support Washington in refilling stockpiles after recent operations have depleted the Pentagon’s reserves.
Major naval initiatives including the European Patrol Corvette programmes and Norway’s UK partnership-focused purchase of Type 26 frigates point to the growing interest in the advantages of commonality across allied navies.
The UK Royal Navy’s rapid procurement of uncrewed platforms aligns with the force’s strategic shift towards a fleet better equipped to handle modern threats.
The Astute-class submarine’s visit to Australia was the first time maintenance activity on a UK Royal Navy nuclear submarine had been carried out in the country.