BAE Systems was awarded a contract for the US Navy, worth over US$70 million, to upgrade the fleet’s Mk 45 5-inch Gun systems and ancillary equipment. The modernization of the cannons occurs at a time of significant tensions between Washington and other global naval superpowers; moreover, US warships operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden regularly shoot down drones and missiles fired by Houthi rebels from Yemen. BAE spoke with Zona Militar about the importance of this award.
BAE confirmed to Zona Militar that “work on these Mk 45 5-inch [12.7 cm] Guns has already begun at our Louisville, Kentucky manufacturing facility. The objective is to upgrade the systems from Mk 45 Mod 2 to Mk 45 Mod 4 Guns.” The upgrade will increase the muzzle energy of the gun by “strengthening structural components, modifying other control system components, adding a 62-caliber barrel, and improving the breech & gun barrel housing.” The Mk 45 Gun allows warships to engage in missions including anti-surface, strike, fire support, and anti-air warfare.
The Ammunition Handling System (AHS) “continuously supplies the gun with ammunition, in high sea state conditions, without assistance from the crew,” BAE told ZM. This fully automated capability increases the operational capability of the Mk 45 Gun at sea “while reducing risk to sailors.”
The improvements also will allow the gun to accommodate extended-range munitions, such as the Hypervelocity Projectile, the company explained to ZM. The objective of the program is to “ensure that US Navy sailors and allies receive the upgraded firepower they need to protect themselves at sea,” the BAE spokesperson told ZM. Upgrading the guns is expected to be complete by the end of 2028.
BAE did not tell ZM how many guns are being upgraded. However, the company explained that the Mk 45 5-inch Gun is installed on over 220 ships across the US Navy and the fleets of 11 US Allies across the globe. The company “remains committed to providing reliable firepower to the US Navy’s allies across the globe.”
Besides the new contract with the US Navy, BAE Systems is also under contract to provide Mk 45 Mod 4 Guns and the AHS for the UK Royal Navy’s Type 26 fleet and the Royal Australian Navy’s Hunter-class frigate.
The company announced last September that work has commenced to integrate the MK 45 Gun system and the Ammunition Handling System aboard HMS Glasgow, the first of eight City-class Type 26 frigates currently under construction for the UK Navy. The company was awarded a US$219 million contract in February 2023 for this program.
According to the company’s 27 January press release, on 30 September, BAE Systems received a US$23.5 million modification to a US$47 million contract awarded at the end of July, bringing the total value to over US$70 million for the contract with the US Navy. The Mk 45 Mod 4 configuration upgrade includes a 62-caliber barrel and a mechanically strengthened gun mount. Moreover, the enhancements will also feature a fully digital control system that “easily integrates targeting and fire control data.”
The upgrades and overhauls to the Mk 45 are “a cost-effective solution to ensure that US Navy Sailors have the modern long-range strike and air defense capability that they require, ensuring peak performance from a deep magazine of advanced 5-inch projectiles that are easily replenished at sea,” the spokesperson for BAE Systems told ZM.
US Navy warships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden regularly report having to shoot down drones, missiles & rockets fired from neighboring Yemen by Houthi rebels. The rebels’ attacks have severely affected shipping traffic through the Red Sea en route to the Suez Canal. In late January, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG-106) announced that it had fired its five-inch gun to shoot down a Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle.
