Navy seals the deal on critical cockpit contract

Lockheed Martin Corp. has snared a high-tech Navy contract worth more than $1 billion.

Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors has secured the $1.05 billion contract modification to make hundreds of cockpits for the Naval Air Systems Command, according to a statement put out by the Defense Department April 5.

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The work will involve mostly mission avionics systems and "common cockpits" as well as integrated logistic support, DOD said.

According to Lockheed's website, its Common Cockpit avionics suite is already common to the U.S. Navy’s MH-60R and MH-60S multi-mission SEAHAWK helicopters.

The cockpit enables the aircrew to perform more diverse missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, combat search and rescue, vertical replenishment, and airborne mine countermeasures, the site said.

The five-year contract will provide more than 200 digital cockpits and integrated-mission systems and sensors for the Navy MH-60R Romeo, an anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare helicopter, and the MH-60S Sierra helicopter, used for for ship-to-ship cargo resupply, search and rescue, and close-in defense of Navy ships, according to a statement by Lockheed Martin.

“U.S. Navy crews operating the 300-plus MH-60 Romeo and Sierra helicopters already in the fleet understand just how critical these aircraft are to protecting our ships from surface and undersea threats,” said Rear Adm. Paul Grosklags, U.S. Naval Air Systems vice commander, in the Lockheed statement.

While most of the work will be performed in Owego, N.Y., and other U.S. locations, under a firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract, about 3 percent of the tasks will be facilitated in Spain.

Work is expected to be completed in June 2018. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.