The Navy earlier this month awarded BAE Systems a $31 million contract for the maintenance, repair and modernization of the guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG-52), the first to undergo the service’s cruiser modification effort, the company said.
“This award complements the important cruiser modernization work we continue to accomplish for the Atlantic Fleet at our Virginia shipyard,” Al Krekich, president of BAE Systems Ship Repair in Norfolk, Va., said. “As the surface combatant fleet continues to age, extending the hull life of these ships is critical to the Navy’s ongoing combat readiness, and we are proud to deliver our services to support that effort.”
The Bunker Hill will undergo cruiser modernization beginning in FY ’08 to revamp all of its Aegis architecture and install the SPY-1 radar (Defense Daily, Oct. 19, 2006).
Work is scheduled to take place in San Diego from Feb. 13, 2008 through February 2009. The project, which includes dry-docking and pier-side work, will involve an average of 300 workers a day during this period. Activities include: all-electric modification to replace steam-operated equipment; stainless steel sanitary space upgrades; corrosion control enhancements; tank, underwater hull and freeboard preservation; and extensive weapons, sensor and communication system upgrades. The contract is administered by the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, according to BAE.
Lockheed Martin [LMT] is leading the cruiser modernization effort on the Bunker Hill, and will deliver the Navy’s first fully-open architecture Aegis Weapon System to the ship.
The Bunker Hill, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, was launched in 1985. It is a multi-mission ship capable of sustained combat operations in any combination of anti-air, anti-submarine, anti-surface and strike warfare environments. Bunker Hill is employed in support of carrier battle groups, amphibious assault groups, as well as interdiction and escort missions.