BAE Systems Awarded Contract for Production of AGS

Released on Tuesday, June 19, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota - BAE Systems was awarded a $276 million contract modification to build the first 155-mm advanced guns for the first two ships built in the DDG 1000 class.

The DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class destroyers will have two Advanced Gun Systems (AGS) each. The AGS consists of a 155-mm gun vertically loaded, stabilized gun mount and a fully automated ammunition handling system. Work on this contract award begins immediately and continues until February 2014. This contract procures four AGS for the first two DDG 1000 ships (2 AGS per ship).

"The contract award ensures that AGS will be ready for installation on the first two Zumwalt ships," said Jim Schoppenhorst, vice president for DDG 1000 Programs at BAE Systems. "The advanced gun system is a vital component to the lethality and effectiveness that the U.S. Navy needs for long range fire support."

Work will be performed at BAE Systems facilities in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Cordova, Alabama; and Louisville, Kentucky. Additionally, work will be performed by General Dynamics Armaments and Technical Products located in Burlington, Vermont.

DDG 1000 Zumwalt is the lead ship of a class of next-generation multi-mission destroyers tailored for land attack and littoral dominance. DDG 1000 will provide forward presence and deterrence, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces.

DDG 1000 Zumwalt is a key component of the surface combatant 'family of ships' currently being developed by the Navy to serve as the backbone of tomorrow's surface Fleet. DDG 1000 Zumwalt provides a broad range of capabilities that are vital both to supporting the Global War on Terror and to fighting and winning major combatant operations. Zumwalt's multi-mission warfighting capabilities are designed to counter not only the threats of today, but threats projected over the next decade as well.

The AGS will provide flexible, sustainable and affordable firepower against a wide range of targets. The AGS, with the highly lethal Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP), will support the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps expeditionary and joint operations warfighters in the littorals and deep inland.