BAE Systems in the U.S. has been awarded a contract valued at approximately $225.6 million by the U.S. Navy to modernise the USS Halsey, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.
The contract, announced on 30 August 2024, will see BAE’s San Diego Ship Repair division undertake the repair, maintenance, and upgrade work on the vessel.
The modernisation efforts will take place in San Diego, California, with a completion target set for April 2026. The scope of work includes providing all necessary labour, supervision, facilities, equipment, production, testing, and quality assurance for the upgrade process.
The contract modification is structured as a firm-fixed-price agreement with an initial base value of $177.8 million. Additional options within the contract could increase the total value to over $225 million if exercised.
Funding for the project will be drawn from the U.S. Navy’s fiscal year 2024 budget, covering both procurement and operational maintenance.
According to the announcement, the Naval Sea Systems Command is overseeing the contract activities.
The USS Halsey recently returned to Naval Base San Diego following a seven-month deployment with the U.S. 7th Fleet, where it was actively engaged in various operations to ensure regional stability and support allied forces throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
This will constitute a lot of very complicated work. On top of all the comprehensive HM&E work a 20 year old ship needs to stay in service, Halsey is slated for the big new SLQ-32(V)7 EW arrays (like USS Pinckney has), more powerful generators, the new SPY-6(V)4 radar, (Flight IIA backfit version) and Aegis Baseline 10M. She will come out of it able to do simultaneous BMD (both exo and endo-atmospheric) and counter air/cruise missile defense. The first 4 Flight IIAs to get all this done are getting the work in two yard periods, including Halsey.