TEWKSBURY, Mass., 29 Oct. 2009. Raytheon Company won a $9.6 million modification to an existing U.S. Navy contract to serve as the platform systems engineering agent for the Ship Self-Defense System.

Raytheon integrates complex warfighting improvements with SSDS for various U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and amphibious ships. Under this modification, Raytheon will integrate the Dual Band Radar currently in production as part of the Zumwalt-class destroyer program, the Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM), and Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2 to improve the warfighting capabilities of SSDS-equipped ships. Work will include combat systems engineering, software engineering, configuration control, integration, and testing.

Components from the Navy's objective open-architecture initiative are also being incorporated, including the system track server, common display system, and common processing system.

"The Ship Self-Defense System has demonstrated the benefits that open-architecture technology provides the Navy, including the ability to upgrade system capabilities with relative ease," says Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' (IDS) Robert Martin, vice president and deputy of Seapower Capability Systems. "The system's high level of capability, affordability, and modularity enables the Navy to defend against today's threats while providing the flexibility to adapt to counter the threats of tomorrow."

As platform systems engineering agent, Raytheon manages the integration of combat system capability upgrades into aircraft carrier and amphibious ships, while providing continued support for fielded systems, explains a representative.

SSDS is fielded on four classes of aircraft carriers and expeditionary ships: LSD, CVN 68, LPD 17, and LHD class. Raytheon plans to install the SSDS Mk 2 Open Architecture upgrade on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) between 2009 and 2011. Future upgrades are also planned for LPD and LHA-class ships.

Work will be performed at Raytheon IDS' Expeditionary Warfare Center, San Diego, Calif.; Seapower Capability Center, Portsmouth, R.I.; IDS Headquarters, Tewksbury, Mass.; Raytheon Network Centric Systems, St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz.