• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

General Dynamics Awarded $90 Million Navy Contract for SSGN and Trident Fire Control Systems

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs Office for development and support for the new SSGN Attack Weapon Control System and the Trident Backfit Fire Control System. The initial award value of the contract is $90 million; if all options are exercised, the contract will have a cumulative value of $221 million.

Under this agreement, General Dynamics will modify the Trident Fire Control and Launcher system to provide a Weapon Control solution for the SSGN program. As part of this effort, the company will complete development and produce four SSGN Attack Weapon Control Systems.

In addition, the company will produce two Trident Backfit MK98 Mod 4 Fire Control Systems and provide associated support and repair for these systems and others currently deployed. General Dynamics will also continue development tasks for the MK98 MOD6/7 Strategic Fire Control Systems.

"This contract award represents the next phase of our command and control work for the weapon systems currently deployed on Ohio Class submarines. The majority of this work is related to advancing the capabilities of the recently deployed, commercial-off-the-shelf-based MK98 Mod 4 weapon system,” said Mike Eagan, director of the program. “The MK98 Mod 4 system has proven to be an affordable, flexible and highly reliable weapon system solution, and it is those characteristics that differentiate our solutions from others.”

The Trident SSGN is a multi-mission submarine optimized for covert strike and special operations support. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems is helping to convert the first four Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines (also known as Tridents) to an SSGN configuration. The submarines to be converted, coincident with their mid-life refuelings, are USS Ohio (SSBN-726), USS Michigan (SSBN-727), USS Florida (SSBN-728) and USS Georgia (SSBN-729).

With the capacity to carry up to 154 Tomahawk missiles and 102 Special Operations troops, SSGNs are considered prime examples of military transformation initiatives. Additionally, SSGNs will serve as platforms to develop and test new weapons systems, sensors and operational concepts that could further transform naval warfare.

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems combines command and control, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and information operations businesses to create command information, intelligence and surveillance solutions. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems provides joint, interoperable and integrated mission solutions.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 54,000 people worldwide and anticipates 2002 revenues of approximately $14 billion. The company has leading market positions in land and amphibious combat systems, mission-critical information systems and technologies, shipbuilding and marine systems, and business aviation.

# # #

Any "forward-looking statements" contained in this press release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

General Dynamics Corporation (ticker: GD, exchange: NYSE)
News Release - Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Press Contact: (860) 433-8556