Lockheed nabs $185M to produce SEWIP systems for Navy

Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin was awarded a $185 million contract for production of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Programs that defend the Navy's aircraft carriers, cruisers and destroyers from missiles, the Pentagon announced.

The contract funds a one-year period but includes options that could extend the contract four additional years, for a potential cumulative value of $812 million.

The bulk of work -- 78 percent -- will take place at Lockheed's worksite in Liverpool, New York, with the remaining 22 percent taking place in Lansdale, Penn.

Lockheed told syracuse.com it does not intend to do any additional hiring to fulfill the contract, though the company recently held a job fair to recruit for up to 118 positions in upstate New York.

SEWIP is an upgrade to the existing AN/SLQ-32(V) electronic warfare system, which provides Navy ships with protection from anti-ship missiles by upgrading early detection, analysis, and threat warning capabilities.

The systems entered full-rate production in September 2016 and in March 2017 Lockheed received a $98 million contract modification to continue producing SEWIP systems for the Navy.