The US Navy has now awarded BAE Systems more than USD 70 million (EUR 67 million) to upgrade Mk 45 5-inch (127 mm) naval gun systems and ancillary equipment, the company announced on 27 January 2025.
BAE Systems noted that on 30 September 2024 it had received a USD 23.5 million modification to a previous USD 47 million Mk 45 contract awarded at the end of July 2024, bringing the total value to over USD 70 million.
Under this contract BAE Systems will upgrade and overhaul existing Mk 45 gun systems to the Mk 45 Mod 4 configuration. This includes a 62-calibre barrel, a mechanically strengthened gun mount and a fully digital control system that easily integrates targeting and fire control data. Together, these upgrades allow the use of modernised munitions with 50% greater firing energy and prepare the gun system for future precision-guided munitions with unprecedented ranges.
“Events in the Red Sea have underscored the importance of firepower aboard US Navy ships,” Brent Butcher, vice president of Weapon Systems at BAE Systems, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Equipped with the latest configuration of the Mk 45 gun system, the men and women in the navy have the capabilities to protect themselves at sea. We continue our commitment to providing the latest naval gun technology, including advanced munitions, to US Sailors and their allies.”
Upgrades and overhauls to the Mk 45 are a cost-effective solution to ensure that US Navy ships have a modern long-range strike and air defence capability as an alternative to having to acquire a whole new gun system. BAE additionally noted that the system has “a deep magazine of advanced five-inch projectiles that are easily replenished at-sea”.
Work on the contract will take place at the BAE Systems production facility in Louisville, Kentucky, and will be completed by the end of 2028, the company said.
