Kollmorgen wins $41M photonics mast contract

30 Dec 2010

US Navy to equip eight Virginia-class submarines with photonics masts made by Kollmorgen, in a supply contract potentially worth $123 million.

USS Hawaii

Submarine periscope manufacturer Kollmorgen has been awarded a $41.2 million initial contract to provide eight of its AN/BVS-1 photonics mast systems for the US Navy. The Navy will install the masts on its Virginia-class submarines SSN 784 to SSN 791 between now and March 2016.

According to an announcement by the US Department of Defense, the contract also includes options for spare masts and associated engineering services which, if exercised, could raise the cumulative vale of the contract to $123.2 million.

Kollmorgen says that it is the sole supplier of optronic mast systems in the US, and the systems include precise, high-resolution electronic imaging and a variety of integrated optical sensor options.

The Massachusetts-based company first developed the photonics mast approach under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract in 1988, with system features including high-definition monochrome television and thermal imaging, and first installed on the USS Memphis.

By 1995, the masts had been upgraded with new sensors and electronics, and installed on board the USS Phoenix. Production of systems for the Virginia-class submarines began in 1999, with each of the boats requiring two masts. In July 2010, Kollmorgen was awarded a $22.6 million contract to maintain and repair AN/BVS-1 photonics masts.

Raytheon awarded F/A-18 IR system contract
Earlier in December, Raytheon won a $48.9 million contract for repair of the Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) system used in support of the F/A 18 aircraft, with work scheduled to be completed by December 2011.

That award follows a $47 million contract award in October, under which Raytheon will provide 250 “Jackal” passive infrared defeat systems. That deal was signed by the US Secretary of Defense as part of a response by the Rapid Acquisition Authority to combat emergencies. This contract has a completion date of October 15, 2011.