Rich Abott
Defense Daily
The U.S. Navy awarded BAE Systems a $368 million five-year contract to provide systems engineering and support services to the service’s Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) office, which covers strategic and attack weapons systems on U.S. and U.K. ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), the company said Wednesday.
SSP specifically overseas the Strategic Weapons System and Attack Weapons System on board current U.S. Ohio-class and U.K. Vanguard-class submarines, in addition to the future Ohio replacement and the U.K. Dreadnought-class of submarines.
These are nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines that are capable of delivering the nuclear –armed Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from both Ohio and Vanguard-class vessels.
BAE employees under the contract will continue to support weapons systems integration and provide test engineering services and special test equipment for SSP. The company team will also provide IT support, develop fleet documentation materials, assist with training programs, conduct facility maintenance monitoring, and offer nuclear and conventional weapons safety support.
“We provide expertise to the Navy to maintain, optimize, and deploy seaborne weapons systems that serve as a strategic deterrent against major threats to the security of our nation and its allies,” DeEtte Gray, president of BAE Systems’ intelligence and security company sector, said in a statement.
