November 30, 2009 -- Torpedo designers at the Raytheon Co. Integrated Defense Systems segment headquartered in Tewksbury, MA, needed wiring harnesses for the company's MK 48 submarine-launched torpedoes and MK 54 surface ship- and aircraft-launched torpedoes. They found their solution from electronics contract manufacturer LaBarge Inc. in St. Louis.
Raytheon awarded a $2.6 million contract to LaBarge to provide wiring harnesses for the MK 48 and MK 54 torpedoes -- the first time LaBarge has supplied parts for the two torpedo programs.
Primarily launched from submarines, the MK 48 is a heavyweight torpedo for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare in shallow- and deep-water environments. The MK 54 is a lightweight torpedo that can be launched from surface ships, helicopters, or fixed-wing airplanes to track, classify, and destroy submarines in deep and shallow waters.
LaBarge will make the wiring harnesses at the company's Berryville, AK plant, and should be finished in December 2011. Raytheon makes torpedoes at the company's Torpedo and Readiness Center, co-located with the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division in Keyport, WA, as well as at the Raytheon Seapower Capability Center in Portsmouth, RI.
On the Web: YouTube video of MK 48 torpedo hitting decomissioned U.S. Navy destroyer
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