American Made Advocacy: The Shared Responsibility of Rebuilding Our Industrial Base
Defense Speak Interpreted: Weapons—Electrical Power vs. Energetics
The Government Circuit: USMCA Review—A Crucial Opportunity to Fortify North American Electronics
BAE Systems to Upgrade Additional Mk 45 Naval Guns for U.S. Navy
January 28, 2025 | BAE SystemsEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The Mk 45 is the lightest, most compact 5-inch (127-mm) fully automatic naval gun in the world. It is built to integrate precision guided munitions with minimal gun modifications to ensure U.S. Navy ships have the firepower they need.
The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems over $70 million to upgrade Mk 45 5-inch naval gun systems and ancillary equipment. On Sept. 30, BAE Systems received a $23.5 million modification to a $47 million contract awarded at the end of July, bringing the total value to over $70 million. Under the contract, BAE Systems will upgrade and overhaul existing systems to the Mk 45 Mod 4 configuration.
The upgrade to the Mk 45 Mod 4 configuration includes a 62-caliber barrel and a mechanically strengthened gun mount. It also features a fully digital control system that easily integrates targeting and fire control data. Together, these upgrades allow the use of modernized munitions with 50% greater firing energy and prepare for future precision-guided munitions with unprecedented ranges.
"Events in the Red Sea this year have underscored the importance of firepower aboard U.S. Navy ships,” said Brent Butcher, vice president of Weapon Systems at BAE Systems. “Equipped with the latest configuration of the Mk45 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 U.S. Sailors and their allies.”
Upgrades and overhauls to the Mk 45 are a cost-effective solution to ensure that U.S. 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. By upgrading these platforms, Sailors will receive the latest innovative technology that will support advanced munitions and future mission capabilities at a lower cost than a new gun system.
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.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Saab Launches Second Polish SIGINT Ship
01/19/2026 | SaabOn 14 January 2026, the launch of Poland's second SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) ship from Saab, ORP Henryk Zygalski, took place in Gdańsk, Poland.
OLI Selected as an Official Collaborator in the U.S. Department of Energy's Genesis Mission
01/14/2026 | PRNewswireOLI is a collaborator in the Genesis Mission, a national initiative to build the world's most powerful scientific platform to accelerate discovery, strengthen national security, and drive energy innovation.
Powering the Future: The Materials That Make Tomorrow Possible
01/14/2026 | Brian Buyea -- Column: Powering the FutureAt Remtec, we live in the intersection where science meets manufacturability, and where reliability isn’t a promise but a measurable outcome. “Powering the Future” isn’t just a slogan. It’s the challenge we face daily as engineers designing metallized ceramic substrates, power packages, and thermal solutions that quietly enable the technologies shaping our world.
Restoring U.S. Industrial Agility: Nurturing Domestic UAV Supply Chains
01/13/2026 | James Will, USPAEUnmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) illustrate the risk of globally dispersed electronics supply chains. But they also offer an opportunity for the U.S. to reimagine World War II’s “freedom’s forge” by building domestic electronics and component manufacturing that is hardwired for agility, speed, scalability and resilience.
Global EV SiC Inverter Installations Hit Record High in 3Q25, Penetration Rises to 18%
01/09/2026 | TrendForceTrendForce’s latest investigations indicate that total global traction inverter installations for EVs1 reached 8.35 million units in 3Q25, representing a 22% increase YoY, driven by ongoing growth in the NEV2 market.