The U.S. Navy expanded a contract with BAE Systems, awarding the company more money to upgrade and overhaul the service’s Mk 45 naval gun systems in an effort to improve their long-range strike and air defense capabilities, the company announced Monday.
BAE will receive an additional $23.5 million, according to a release. That amount comes in addition to its original $47 million contract, bringing the cost of the project to over $70 million.
The company will extend the barrel of the Mk 45 to 62 calibers and strengthen the gun mounts. It will also incorporate a fully digital control system. The upgrades will allow the Mk 45s to fire more modern munitions that have 50% greater firing energy, BAE said in the release.
The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.
Brent Butcher, vice president of weapon systems at BAE, said the events in the Red Sea last year emphasized the need for modernized weapons systems in the Navy’s fleet. Starting in late 2023 and continuing through 2024, Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched attacks against commercial and naval ships in the Red Sea, leading to U.S. naval and air strikes against the group.
The situation “underscored the importance of firepower aboard U.S. Navy ships,” Butcher said.
“Equipped with the latest configuration of the [Mk 45] gun system, the men and women in the Navy have the capabilities to protect themselves at sea,” Butcher added. “We continue our commitment to providing the latest naval gun technology, including advanced munitions, to U.S. Sailors and their allies.”
BAE said the upgrades would come at a lower cost than introducing a new gun system altogether. The work on the Mk 45s will be completed at the company’s production facility in Louisville, Kentucky.
Nikki Wentling is a senior editor at Military Times. She's reported on veterans and military communities for nearly a decade and has also covered technology, politics, health care and crime. Her work has earned multiple honors from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors and others.
