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Lockheed Martin to replace USS Fitzgerald's SPY-1D AEGIS radar

Lockheed Martin has received a $15.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the restoration of the damaged USS Fitzgerald.

By Stephen Carlson
USS Fitzgerald returning to Fleet Activities Yokosuka following its collision with a civilian ship. File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy
USS Fitzgerald returning to Fleet Activities Yokosuka following its collision with a civilian ship. File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy

Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has received a $15.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract for the restoration of the damaged USS Fitzgerald.

The awarded procurement is for beginning repair work on the Fitzgerald after its collision with a civilian cargo ship June 17 that killed seven U.S. sailors. The work provides for the delivery, installation and testing of one SPY-1D radar array, water cooling systems for the radar system and power cables.

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LM RMS will share in the responsibility of the repair. The work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J., Clearwater, Fla. and Oswego, N.Y. with an expected completion date of October 2019.

The AN/SPY-1D phased array radar is the primary component of the AEGIS Weapons System mounted on Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

The SPY-1D is capable of tracking over 100 targets at once at long range and high altitudes, including ballistic missiles. It is a key component of the U.S. and allied nations ballistic missile defense systems radar network.

The Fitzgerald was the first of two U.S. Navy destroyers to be involved in a collision with severe loss of life in the last year. The USS John S. McCain collided with a LIberian-flagged oil tanker on Aug. 21, killing 10 sailors.

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The U.S. Pacific Fleet has suffered four major collision and grounding incidents since the beginning of the year, sparking concerns over basic crew readiness, proficiency and whether the Navy in it's current size and funding faces too many commitments.

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