Raytheon awarded a $287.9 Million contract to upgrade Close-In Weapon System (CIWS)

: Posted On Friday, 05 August 2016 13:48

Naval Forces News - Raytheon

Raytheon awarded a $287.9 Million contract to upgrade Close-In Weapon System (CIWS)

Raytheon Company has been awarded a $287.9 million contract modification for MK 15 Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) upgrades and conversions, system overhauls, and associated hardware. This contract combines purchases for the US Navy (36.75 percent) and for the governments of Turkey (44.09 percent) and Australia (19.16 percent), under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.

Phalanx Close-In Weapon System
Picture: Raytheon

Work under the contract is expected to be completed by December 2022.

CIWS consists of 2 variants: Phalanx, which utilizes a six-barrel Gatlin gun; and SeaRAM, which replaces the gun with an 11-round Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) guide.

Phalanx is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled radar and 20 mm gun system that automatically acquires, tracks and destroys enemy threats that have penetrated all other ship defense systems. More than 890 systems have been built and deployed in navies around the world.
Intended to enlarge Phalanx's keep-out range against evolving anti-ship missiles, rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft and other threats, SeaRAM Anti-ship Missile Defense Systems use advanced Phalanx Block 1B sensors and replaces the gun with an 11-round Rolling Airframe Missile guide. SeaRAM is aboard the Independence-class of the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ships.