US Navy aircraft carrier weapon crews to receive ballistic shields
Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson and USS Abraham Lincoln transit the Philippine Sea in January 2022. (Photo: USN/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Thaddeus Berry)
Crewed weapon stations aboard USN nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be fitted with advanced ballistic shields from Kinetic Protection under the terms of a new $16.27 million contract.
Lateral and centre panel assemblies will provide advanced protection, the DoD stated on 2 September when announcing the deal from Naval Sea Systems Command.
The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $22.98 million.
Work will be performed in Bloomington, Minnesota, and is expected to be completed by September 2024.
More from Naval Warfare
-
How the Hormuz mine threat exposes potential Baltic MCM shortfalls
Ageing Baltic vessels and an absence of active minehunting vessel programmes in the region have been put under the spotlight in the recent conflict.
-
“We must end the mentality of ever larger platforms”: Why USVs are scaling
Multiple USV programme milestones announced last week, aligned with a reinforcement of the Royal Navy’s vision for a hybrid fleet, point to innovation-led ambition but also to a structural calculation with resource ceilings that neither London nor Washington can ignore.
-
As uncrewed naval systems advance, capabilities to counter them are emerging
Research programmes and system procurement efforts to counter uncrewed surface and underwater vehicle threats are accelerating as naval drone uptake spreads.
-
US Coast Guard to receive the first three Offshore Patrol Cutters in FY2026 and FY2027
After recording a nearly six-year delay in the OPC schedule, the USCG intends to advance with the programme, reaching multiple milestones in the short term.