Raytheon Awarded $16.8 Million To Repair Electronics On Fire-Damaged USS Oscar Austin

May 20, 2019 12:31 PM
Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Fredericksen Coulter stands the optical sight systems watch in the combat information center aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79). US Navy Photo

The Navy recently awarded Raytheon a $16.8-million contract to repair the AN/SPY-1D transmitters suite aboard USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79), providing a hint at the type of work required to bring the fire-damaged Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer back to the fleet.

The contract pays Raytheon to repair, refurbish, reassemble and test the Aegis Weapon System AN/SPY-1D transmitter group on Oscar Austin, according to the contract award.

However, six months after a fire reportedly fried an unspecified amount of electrical gear aboard Oscar Austin, the Navy is still evaluating how long it will take repair the destroyer whose repair and upgrade work had been nearly complete when the fire broke out, according to Navy officials.

On November 10, Oscar Austin was at the BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair yard in Virginia when an electrical fire started on board. About 30 crew members from Oscar Austin and USS Cole (DDG-67) extinguished the blaze, according to the Norfolk Fire Marshal’s incident report.

At the time, Oscar Austin was nearing the finish of a year-long upgrade to install the new Baseline 9 version of the Aegis Combat System, according to the Navy. Oscar Austin entered the BAE shipyard in February 2018 and was the second guided-missile destroyer to undergo this extensive repair and upgrade work, according to BAE.

The Navy’s contract with BAE included other modernization options, which, if exercised, would bring the total value of upgrading Oscar Austin to $117.1 million, according to a statement previously released by the company.

The upgrades to Oscar Austin were initially scheduled to finish in February 2019. The fire occurred before the Baseline 9 equipment was installed, according to the Navy. The fire and firefighting efforts likely damaged existing hardware needed to install the updated system, Navy and defense contractor officials previously told USNI News.

As of Friday, the Navy has not released a final cost estimate for repairs now being made to Oscar Austin. The Navy also has not issued a revised timeline for the repair work to be completed.

The following is the Raytheon contract award to repair the SPY-1D transmitter group on USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79):

Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Marlborough, Massachusetts, is awarded a $16,818,682 cost-plus-fixed-fee undefinitized contract action (N0002419F5121) under previously-awarded basic ordering agreement N00024-17-G-5103 to repair and test USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) SPY-1D transmitter suite. This order covers repair, refurbishment, reassembly and testing of the Aegis Weapon System AN/SPY-1D transmitter group as well as associated testing support. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia (65 percent); Andover, Massachusetts (15 percent); Marlborough, Massachusetts (10 percent); and Burlington, Massachusetts (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2021. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,590,874 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), this order was not competitively procured (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Ben Werner

Ben Werner

Ben Werner is a staff writer for USNI News. He has worked as a freelance writer in Busan, South Korea, and as a staff writer covering education and publicly traded companies for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., Savannah Morning News in Savannah, Ga., and Baltimore Business Journal. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree from New York University.

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