Posted on 05/26/2005 1:43:31 PM PDT by Righty_McRight
Raytheon Co. yesterday won a $3 billion Navy contract to develop radar and other systems for a new class of destroyers that will pioneer technology for a variety of ships in coming decades.
The award is one of the Waltham company's largest ever. It is a follow-on to previous contracts the Naval Sea Systems Command has given Raytheon for the destroyer program, called the DD(X). The new destroyers are being envisioned as the first vessels in the service's 21st century fleet of high-tech fighting ships.
But the contract comes as concerns mount in Congress over the rising cost of the program, now estimated at more than $3 billion a ship, and the fates of competing shipyards in Maine and Mississippi where the destroyers would be built.
Most of the work on the DD(X) systems is being done at Raytheon sites in Tewskbury and Portsmouth, R.I. Dan Smith, the president of Raytheon's integrated defense systems unit in Tewksbury, said yesterday the new award would take the program from development into production and carries the potential for new jobs. But he insisted it was too soon to say how many jobs would be added, when, or where. The Navy contract is scheduled to run through December 2009.
''It's a big contract," Smith said. ''It's got a lot of legs."
Under the program, Raytheon is developing five systems for the new destroyers that improve on existing technology. The five systems are: radar; sonar; the ships' computing network; an external network enabling them to communicate with other ships, shore stations, and aircraft; and a missile launcher that can target other ships and ground installations. Raytheon, which is working with several engineering subcontractors, will also be the systems integrator, making all the technology work together.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
ES, here's some more news on the DDX.
I wonder how many reporters are googling Cheney+Raytheon at this very moment?
lol
Grim thought, but funny.
It is a good design.
What kind of guns are they putting on the DD(X)? I saw something about rocket assisted shells, and then something about rail guns. Which is it?
If you search high and low to look at a picture of the DD(X) you may note that it looks a bit like the USS Monitor. It likely has slightly improved technology, though.
I have a feeling the final design won't "look" nearly as stealthy as many of the neato concept pictures.
Really for this ship, stealth doesn't matter that much.
Does anyone remember that deal with Raytheon and Brazil. The rainforest monitoring system? It was Clinton thing. Could be why they are not going nuts. IF George Bush or Dick Chaney had worked for them we would be hearing Moonbats around the country blood vessels popping.
I've sensed that the stealth technology was being built into everything external on all war ships. It makes sense. On something like the DD(X) it would take a miniscule profile and make it disappear altogether.
Raytheon is the #7 top government contractor. With 80% of contracts to the military, there isn't much complaining in Congress.
Pretty damned cool. Perhaps the Marine Corps should look into it, taking a beach would be nothing if those "directed energy" weapons could be aimed at a shoreline. But then again, napalm is always fun and effective.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.