BAE Systems has received a follow-on contract to supply five Mk 45 Maritime Indirect Fire Systems to equip the remainder of the eight-ship class of Type 26 frigates. (BAE Systems)
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded BAE Systems Inc a contract to supply the Royal Navy (RN) with a second batch of Mk 45 Maritime Indirect Fire Systems (MIFS) for the service's Type 26 City-class frigate programme.
Under the contract, announced on 28 February and worth USD219 million, BAE Systems will supply five MIFS systems that will equip the remainder of the RN's eight-ship Type 26 frigate programme.
The award follows an initial contract awarded in July 2016 for GBP183 million (USD240.3 million) for three MIFS systems to equip the three Batch 1 Type 26 frigates. The contract included one trainer system. The Batch 1 guns were reconditioned and upgraded Mk 45 Mod 2 mountings incorporating newbuild ordnance elements.
BAE Systems' MIFS combines the five-inch 62 calibre Mk 45 Mod 4A naval gun system with a fully automated ammunition handling system (AHS), a gun fire-control system, and qualified ammunition. BAE Systems said the AHS was developed to help increase RN's crew productivity, reduce sailor safety hazards, and improve the operational capability of the Type 26 frigates.
Engineering and programme support under the latest contract will be performed at the company's Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, production facilities. According to BAE Systems, the main equipment for the first MIFS system was shipped to the UK at the end of 2022, with installation to follow in 2023.
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