CRANE, Ind. – U.S. Navy surface warfare experts are ready to replace the MK 20 electro-optical sensor systems (EOSS) and MK 46 Optical Sight System (OSS), which enable surface warships to hit enemy ships and aircraft accurately with naval gun fire.
Officials of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division in Crane, Ind., released a special notice (N0016426SNB35) for the Electro-Optic/Infrared (EO/IR) Sight System (EOSS) project, which seeks to create a competitive environment for the replacement of the MK 20 EOSS and MK 46 OSS.
Replacement systems should be able to interface with the Navy Gun Weapon System (GWS) Local Area Network (LAN) and be remotely controlled by MK 160 Gun Computer System (GCS) consoles. The company that manufactures the MK 20 EOSS is the L3Harris KEO segment in Northampton, Mass.
The next-generation EOSS will be for Ticonderoga-class cruisers, Arleigh Burke class destroyers, U.S. Coast Guard Legend class National Security Cutters, and Coast Guard Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutters.
Naval gun sight
The new electro-optical targeting system will act as the gun sight for the MK 34 and MK 48 naval guns in the visible-light and infrared spectra. The system also may be for low-visibility and night navigation; coastal observation and surveillance; identification friend or foe; real-time situational awareness and threat warning; reconnaissance and surveillance; and documenting navigational hazards.
Navy officials may select a new EOSS prototype for surface warships as early as this October, with first deliveries by April 2027.
The legacy MK 20 EOSS is a check sight and targeting sensor for anti-surface and anti-air warfare and naval gun fire support missions, Navy officials say. It is a major component of the MK 34 5-inch guns for use against enemy ships, boats, and aircraft.
L3Harris KEO has been building the EOSS since 2005. The system has digital stabilization with fiber-optic gyros, a separate eye-safe laser rangefinder with diode-pumped laser, enhanced built-in test, and improved sensor-to-sensor boresight alignment. The EOSS meets MIL-S-901D heavyweight and large-displacement shock tests.
Guides MK 34 deck guns
The MK 20 MOD 0 incorporates several technology improvements over the MK 46, and new features that support integration with the MK 34 Gun Weapons System. It uses an interface electronics unit (IEU) that interfaces with as many as two deck gun computers and three deck gun consoles to provide video, target bearing and range, and system status data to all three, while taking commands from any one.
Companies interested should email 10-page responses to the Navy's Mark Dravet at [email protected] no later than 18 March 2026.
Email questions or concerns to Mark Dravet at [email protected] no later than 18 March 2026. More information is online at https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/1e5a72085b374b35bae14b8b166b59e1/view.
