BAE, GD team for Navy contract bid

HUDSON, N.H., Oct. 23 (UPI) -- BAE Systems announced a partnership with General Dynamics in a move to position the companies to compete for a U.S. Navy electronic warfare upgrade contract.

The Navy is preparing to begin taking bids for the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block 2 upgrades. BAE and General Dynamics have partnered to compete for the contract to upgrade the electronic warfare system called Sea Lightning.

The Navy's Sea Lightning is a system designed to counter threats at sea through the interception of enemy radars. Company officials say they plan to combine General Dynamics' open architecture capabilities and BAE Systems' electronic warfare knowledge.

"Sea Lightning will fulfill Block 2 requirements and future spiral developments in electronic attack, electro-optical and infrared technology," Greg Smith, BAE Systems vice president of information dominance systems, said in a statement.

"Our combined technological know-how and capabilities are aligned with the Navy's vision and need for a system that can combat the latest enemy threats."