The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract modification worth US$257,278,109 for the manufacture of components and spares as well as hardware repairs of Mk 48 MOD 7 heavyweight torpedoes.
The modification has extended the period of the manufacture of the torpedoes to September 2029.
The resulting additional stocks of the weapons will be earmarked for the US Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, and customers under the US Department of War's foreign military sales program.
The Mk 48 torpedo is a heavyweight acoustic-homing torpedo. The US Navy said the torpedo has a digital guidance system that allows for repeated upgrades to counter evolving threats through software upgrades.
Perhaps the most notable recent use of the Mk 48 torpedo in combat was the sinking of the Iranian warship Dena by the US Navy Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Charlotte off the coast of Sri Lanka earlier this year. Charlotte fired two torpedoes, both of which successfully struck Dena and caused her to sink.