SAN DIEGO - BAE Systems has received a $149.8 million U.S. Navy contract to perform maintenance, repair, and modernization work on the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), including work involving the ship's Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) and Ship's Signal Exploitation Equipment (SSEE) systems.
The firm-fixed-price contract covers an FY2027 Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) at Naval Base San Diego. The Navy originally estimated the availability at more than 255,000 maintenance man-days and nearly 69,000 modernization man-days. The contract could reach $180 million if all options are exercised.
The Navy's public planning documents identify CANES hardware 1.2 and SSEE Increment F as command-and-surveillance maintenance work. The documents separately identify modernization work involving the Propulsion and Auxiliary Control System, ballast and damage-control systems, CANES common technical unit (CTU), a one-way announcing system, 400-Hz shipboard power distribution and other systems.
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Command and control
CANES is the Navy's shipboard network and computing environment for command, control, intelligence, logistics and other applications. The hardware 1.2 baseline was developed to provide increased processing and memory, improved network performance, a modern afloat data center and other improvements to the shipboard computing infrastructure. The public Boxer solicitation, however, does not specify whether the CANES hardware 1.2 work will involve installation, replacement, repair or another form of sustainment.
SSEE Increment F is a shipboard signals-exploitation system associated with cryptologic collection and electromagnetic-spectrum operations. Public Navy budget documents have described continuing engineering-change and hardware-refresh activities for SSEE Increment F, including replacement of obsolete equipment and modernization of rack-based processing and RF interfaces. The Boxer solicitation does not identify the specific SSEE work planned for the ship.
The Navy's solicitation also calls for extensive maintenance of the Boxer's hull, propulsion plant, electrical distribution equipment, auxiliary systems and aviation-related infrastructure. The modernization portion is expected to require structural, electrical, cabling, piping and ventilation work, with BAE Systems coordinating Navy alteration installation teams, third-party contractors and government work.
The Boxer is a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship designed to operate Marine Corps aircraft and amphibious forces. The FY2027 availability represents a broad sustainment effort with selected upgrades to shipboard control, computing, communications, power, and other systems.
BAE Systems said its Maritime Solutions San Diego organization will perform the work at Naval Base San Diego.
