Alion to help manage Navy ship project

Alion Science and Technology Inc. will help the Navy manage the design and acquisition of a new surface ship under a five-year, $127.8 million contract.

The company, based in McLean, Va., will manage all the business functions for development of the next-generation Guided Missile Cruiser and assist with ship systems integration and ship design, company officials said.

The work was awarded under the Naval Sea Systems Command's SeaPort Enhanced contract. The new ship is being designed for joint air and missile defense and joint air control operations.

This is the first shipbuilding program awarded to Alion that calls on support from John J. McMullen Associates and assets of Anteon Corp., which were both acquired by Alion in the past three years.

Alion ranks No. 31 on Washington Technology's 2008 Top 100 list of the largest federal government prime contractors.