Raytheon wins USN sonar system contract

TEWKSBURY, Mass., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Raytheon has won a new $15.4 million U.S. Navy anti-submarine warfare sonar system contract.

"Raytheon Company has been awarded a $15.4 million U.S. Navy contract for the AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar system, the primary undersea anti-submarine warfare sensor for the U.S. Navy's MH-60R multi-mission helicopter," the company said in a statement last week.

"The AN/AQS-22 provides essential anti-submarine warfare mission support capabilities, including submarine detection, tracking, localization, classification, acoustic intercept, underwater communication and environmental data collection. Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems is the prime production supplier of AN/AQS-22, providing the Navy with these critical capabilities since 1999," Raytheon said.

"This program is an excellent example of our successful government-industry partnership," said IDS' Upinder Dhinsa, vice president of Maritime Mission Systems. "We continue to work with the Navy to deliver mission-critical capabilities in the form of effective, affordable solutions."

"Full rate production of AN/AQS-22 has been accelerated since the initial fielding of the MH-60R helicopter into the U.S. Navy fleet in 2006. Under this latest contract, Raytheon IDS will provide three additional AN/AQS-22 systems; development efforts for a technology refresh of the sonar transmitter-receiver control module; automated test equipment for analog and digital modules; and increased acoustic test capabilities," the company said.

"Work on the contract will be performed at Raytheon's Maritime Mission Center, Portsmouth, R.I.," it said.

Raytheon said "Integrated Defense Systems is the company's leader in Joint Battle-space Integration providing affordable, integrated solutions to a broad international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security."