Navy taps Raytheon for ship defense open architecture

Raytheon Co.'s Integrated Defense Systems unit has won a $38.7 million contract from the Navy to provide a ship self-defense system with an open architecture-computing environment, the company announced today.

Under the contract, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems of Tewksbury, Mass., will take the current ship self-defense system Mk 2 to an open architecture computing environment Category 3 state.

The company also will deliver new software and produce two tactical ship sets, one commercial set and three test beds.

The Navy will use one tactical ship set at the Wallops Island test facility at Wallops Island, Va., and one test bed at the Open Architecture Test Facility in Dahlgren, Va. The remaining equipment will be kept at a Raytheon lab in San Diego for development and testing.

Raytheon's Mk 2 system is the only surface combat direction system with commercial off-the-shelf hardware and software used for tactical certification, according to the company. The open architecture will advance the existing design to meet computing environment Category 3 requirements.

The system provides a rapid reaction, anti-air defense capability that identifies and classifies targets, prioritizes and conducts engagement, vectors interceptor aircraft to targets and exchanges information and engagement orders among a naval battle group and various service components in the theater.

Work on the system will be performed at Raytheon's Naval Integration Center in Portsmouth, R.I., and its Expeditionary Warfare Center in San Diego.

Raytheon Co. of Lexington, Mass., has more than 78,000 employees and annual sales of $18.1 billion. The company ranked No. 7 on Washington Technology's 2004 Top 100 list, which measures federal contracting revenue.