Lockheed Martin receives contract for Australian AEGIS systems

July 12 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin Systems and Training will provide lifetime software maintenance for the AEGIS systems in the Royal Austrailian Navy's Hobart-class destroyers, the Department of Defense announced on Tuesday.

The $41.8 million contract falls under foreign military sales. Work will primarily take place in Moorestown, N.J., and several other sites in the United States and Australia.

The work is expected to be completed by November 2019 with $5.8 million in foreign military sales funding allocated upon the award.

The AEGIS weapons system is an integrated weapons system based on the AN/SPY-1 phased array automated radar. It is capable of tracking more than 100 targets at once, and the command and decision element of its targeting system can interpret and prioritize incoming targets based on range and threat level.

The Hobart-class guide-air warfare guided missile destroyer is the newest ship class in the RAN. It is equipped with the Aegis Combat System and AN/SPY1 radar to detect and destroy enemy aircraft and missiles.

The vessels are equipped with the MK 41 Vertical Launch System capable of firing Standard surface-to-air missiles and mounts Sea Sparrow point-defense missiles. It will also carry torpedoes and other undersea munitions for anti-submarine operations.

The class is being built by the Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance composed of the Department of Defense, Raytheon Australia, and ASC. The first in the class HMAS Hobart is expected to enter active service next year after further testing and outfitting. Two other destroyers in the class are under construction.