WILLIAMSTOWN, Australia, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The MK45 guns used on ships of the Royal Australian Navy are being overhauled by BAE Systems under a five-year contract.
BAE Systems, which did not disclose the value of the award, said it will be the sole source provider of gun in-service support, removal, replacement and overhaul services to the country's navy.
The contract follows the recent overhaul of a naval gun system for a navy ship.
"Our Technical Services team demonstrated its capability by overcoming the challenges the project presented, including major realignment requirements when fitting the gun and loader on HMAS Stuart," said BAE Systems Director of Maritime Bill Saltzer. 'The overhaul of the remaining guns for the ANZAC fleet will be carried out at the BAE Systems shipyard in Williamstown, Victoria and then installation of the guns will be done in conjunction with the ASMD upgrade when the ships are dry berthed at the BAE Systems shipyard in Henderson, WA.
"Accomplishing the gun overhauls concurrently with the ASMD upgrade will ensure these vital assets will not be out of service for any additional length of time.
"It also means the Navy can also be confident that when the ships resume operation they will have both the benefits of the ASMD upgrade and a fully re-conditioned gun with an extended length of service," he said.
ASMD is an acronym for anti-ship missile defense, which includes phased array radar and combat management system upgrades.
