New MK 54 torpedo award for Raytheon

Raytheon will supply MK 54 lightweight torpedo equipment to the US Navy under a $45.3 million contract announced on 18 October. The contract will increase the US lightweight torpedo fleet inventory, and support foreign military sales of the equipment to the Indian and Australian navies.

Raytheon will provide the US Navy with MK 54 lightweight torpedo hardware, test equipment, spares and related engineering and repair services. Raytheon is the US Navy's sole production supplier for MK 54 lightweight torpedo hardware, and also works directly with the navy to meet the lightweight torpedo requirements of US and allied fleets.

The MK 54 is a next-generation anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon deployed from surface ships, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to detect and attack underwater targets. Sophisticated processing algorithms allow the MK 54 to analyse the information, edit out false targets or countermeasures, and pursue identified threats. The MK 54 is designed for both deep water and littoral environments, making it the only lightweight torpedo capable of striking any underwater target in the world's oceans, regardless of water depth.

Kevin Peppe, vice president of Seapower Capability Systems for Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business, said: ‘As enemy submarines remain a threat to security, stability and access to the world's oceans, naval forces worldwide require a reliable and effective undersea warfare weapon. Together with the US Navy, we continue to advance the development of the world's most effective lightweight torpedo, delivering its proven capabilities to meet the anti-submarine warfare needs of US and allied fleets.’

This award represents an exercised option of a current US Navy contract for MK 54 torpedo kits.