Article Posted on : - Apr 08, 2011

The Mk 38 Mod 2 machine gun system. A BAE photo

ARLINGTON, US (BNS): British defence firm BAE Systems has received a contract from the US Navy to deliver 40 Mk 38 Mod 2 Machine Gun Systems (MGS).

This is the first year of a four-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a total value of over $165 million under which BAE will deliver the naval guns in 2011 and 2012.

The latest order will increase the total number of Mk 38 Mod 2 guns in the US Navy’s fleet to more than 220, the company said.

The Mk 38 Mod 2 is a 25mm, remotely controlled gun system that provides the Navy with a lethal weapon to fulfill the critical role of ship self-protection. The MGS can be deployed on a wide range of different ship classes and platform designs of 50 tons or greater displacement.

The system, with a range of over 2,500 meters, is highly autonomous and effective against multiple surface threats.

BAE Systems supports the programme of record for 374 Mk 38 gun systems and has delivered more than 180 to the Navy over the past six years.

The Mk 38 guns are now installed on eight of the 12 planned ship classes in the US Navy and Coast Guard. The future platforms include the DDG 1000, the Littoral Combat Ship and the LHA(R), as well as US Coast Guard's Integrated Deepwater System ships.