General Dynamics Mission Systems press release
General Dynamics Mission Systems announced today that it was awarded a fixed-price-incentive, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and cost-only contract from the U.S. Navy in December for up to $808.6 million to produce MK 54 MOD 1 Lightweight Torpedo Kits and related test equipment, spares, provisioned item orders, engineering support and hardware support for the MK 54 Lightweight Torpedo Program. Work will be performed in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by December 2032.
“Our Progeny Systems employees have been providing advanced torpedo electronics to the U.S. and allied Navies for 18 years. This contract ensures that our surface ships and aircraft will have the most modern and capable torpedoes in the world for many years to come.”
Laura Hooks, vice president and general manager of Maritime and Strategic Systems at General Dynamics Mission Systems.
Progeny Systems was acquired by General Dynamics Mission Systems in 2022. Headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, Progeny Systems provides a wide spectrum of capabilities and lifecycle support services for U.S. submarines and surface ships.
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About Mk 54 Lightweight Torpedo
The MK 54 lightweight torpedo is the primary anti-submarine warfare weapon used by U.S. Navy surface ships, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Designed to operate in shallow waters and in the presence of countermeasures, it can track, classify and attack underwater targets.
To replace the aging fleet of torpedoes, the U.S. Navy worked with Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, a former business unit of Raytheon Company, to design and develop an improved LWT. The MK 54 combines the advanced sonar transceiver of the MK 50 torpedo with the legacy warhead and propulsion system of the older MK 46.
The MK 54 MOD 0 Lightweight Torpedo integrates existing hardware and software from the MK 46 and MK 50 torpedo programs with state-of-the-art commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) digital signal-processing technology. It incorporates an advanced guidance and control (G&C) section employing COTS processing technologies and tactical software improvements to significantly increase torpedo performance in challenging scenarios at reduced lifecycle costs.
Continues software improvements will be delivered through the Torpedo Advanced Processor Build (TAPB) process. The MK 54 MOD 1 provides a hardware upgrade to the sonar array assembly and associated electronics. The MK 54 MOD 0 Lightweight Torpedo reached Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in 2004. The MK 54 Vertical Launched Anti-Submarine (ASW) Rocket (ASROC) (VLA) system reached IOC in 2010.
General Characteristics
- Primary Function: Lightweight Torpedo
- Propulsion: Liquid propellant
- Length: 106.9 inch (2.72 n)
- Diameter: 12.75 inch (324 mm)
- Weight: 607 pounds (276 kg)
- Warhead: 100 pounds (43.9 kg), high-explosive PBXN
- Operational Range: 10.000 yd (~9.1 km)
- Maximum speed: >40 knots
