SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy has given Sparton Corp. an $8.9 million subcontract for sonobuoy design enhancements.
The award comes under the Navy's High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Technology Development program.
Sparton said tasks to develop, integrate and test a digital data link and Global Positioning System into the AN/SSQ-101A production sonobuoy and a GPS and analog data link in the AN/SSQ-53 and AN/SSQ-62 sonobuoys are included in the program.
Under the company's ERAPSCO joint venture, these engineering design services will be performed at Sparton's facility in De Leon Springs. Fla., and are expected to be complete by February 2013.
ERAPSCO is a joint venture between Sparton and USSI, a subsidiary of Ultra Electronics Holdings PLC.
HAASW-modified sonobuoys -- including a new AN/SSQ-101A digital data link and the addition of GPS -- significantly augments the ASW mission for the new P-8 Poseidon aircraft and the worldwide capability of other Navy aircraft. As part of the technology development effort, ERAPSCO will build a small quantity of the HAASW-modified sonobuoys to support Navy tests.
Qualification of the ERAPSCO built HAASW-modified sonobuoy is anticipated in subsequent contracts.
"Sparton is firmly committed to the development of innovative technology and to supplying the U.S. Navy with quality products that help secure our borders," said Cary Wood, Sparton president and chief executive officer.
Sparton is the only U.S.-owned designer and manufacturer of sonobuoys for the Navy.
