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The US Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin a US$245 million (AU$380.9 million) contract extension for the MK-48 Guidance and Control Mod 7 program.
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This contract combines purchases for the US Navy, the Royal Australian Navy and the foreign military sales program, with Lockheed Martin expected to complete work on this contract by September 2027.
The MK-48 Guidance and Control program is a critical component of the US Navy’s submarine fleet, providing advanced systems for the MK 48 torpedo. This contract extension will allow Lockheed Martin to continue delivering these essential systems to the Navy, as well as allied nations, including the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins Class submarines.
Tom Warner, Lockheed Martin, RMS vice president of undersea warfare, welcomed this contract extension, saying, “This contract extension for the MK-48 Guidance and Control program is a testament to Lockheed Martin’s ability to aggressively revitalise a once-dormant technology, delivering more guidance and control sections at a faster production rate.”
These sections are necessary to increase the overall number of MK 48 Mod 7 heavyweight torpedoes in the Navy’s and allied forces inventory. Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin delivered their 100th guidance and control section for the MK 48 torpedo, meeting a high-priority milestone.
“Our dedicated team is fully committed to continuing the production of these essential systems, ensuring the US Navy and our allied nations have the technology they need to maintain their edge in an ever-changing global landscape,” Warner said.
The MK-48 Guidance and Control program is one of many ways that Lockheed Martin is working to support the Navy and its mission to maintain maritime superiority. Lockheed Martin leverages its history of innovation to provide the US Navy with the advanced technology systems, products and services to stay ahead of adversaries across the globe.
The MK 48 heavyweight torpedo is used by all classes of submarines as their primary anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare weapon.
The MK 48 torpedo is a heavyweight acoustic-homing torpedo with sophisticated sonar, all-digital guidance and control systems, digital fusing systems, and propulsion improvements. Its digital guidance system allows for repeated upgrades to counter evolving threats through software upgrades.
The last MK 48 Mod 6 production torpedo was delivered in 1996, since then, the Navy has provided discrete improvements to MK 48 Mod 6 via upgrade kits to the torpedo’s guidance and control and propulsion systems. The MK 48 Mod 6 torpedo reached initial operational capability (IOC) in 1997.
The latest version of the MK 48 is the Mod 7, optimised for both traditional and emerging missions. The MK 48 Mod 7 torpedo is the result of a joint development program with the Royal Australian Navy and achieved IOC in 2006.
The MK 48 Mod 7 hardware upgrade has enabled further software improvements to the MK 48 that provide increased capability in the most challenging scenarios.
