LOUISVILLE, Ky., 20 May 2009. Raytheon Company won a $259.9 million U.S. Navy contract to overhaul and upgrade 57 Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems, as well as to provide ancillary equipment, spares, and technical support. The agreement calls for 40 sea-based Phalanx systems and 17 Centurion Land-Based Phalanx Weapon Systems.

"The capability of our world-class Ku-band radar coupled with Phalanx's thermal imager provides unparalleled self-defense protection," says Todd Callahan, Raytheon's Close-In Defense Solutions program director. "Phalanx gives commanders at sea and on the ground the ability to interface with other systems to defeat targets, save lives, and prevent damage."

Phalanx is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled radar and 20 mm gun system that automatically acquires, tracks, and destroys enemy threats that have penetrated all other ship defense systems, says a representative. More than 890 systems have been built and deployed in the navies of 25 nations.

Centurion LPWS defends ground forces and sites against rocket, artillery, and mortar attacks. Twenty-two have been delivered to the U.S. Army and 10 to the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence.

"At sea, Phalanx Block 1B provides a reliable day and night passive search and track capability in near-shore, littoral environments," says Callahan. "The land-based system has proved to be very effective since it was first delivered in mid-2005, defeating more than 110 launches against high-value Multi-National Corps-Iraq assets."