The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded BAE Systems a 60-million-pound ($79 million) contract to upgrade the Royal Navy’s autonomous Sting Ray lightweight torpedo.
The four-year Sting Ray Mid Life Upgrade assessment phase includes design and development, prototype construction and in-water trials.
It will upgrade the in-service Sting Ray Mod 1 to the Mod 2 version, featuring technological upgrades and additional deployment options to counter emerging threats.
“The Sting Ray torpedo remains at the heart of anti-submarine warfare,” Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Maritime Services Scott Jamieson said.
“It’s a huge sign of confidence for the Company to be entering the next phase of development and be able to demonstrate its additional capabilities.
“This contract is vitally important to the UK’s strategic underwater defense plans and an important step in the advancement of our capability for decades to come.”
Sting Ray Torpedo
The Mod 1 has been operational since 2001 and is capable of countering both fast, deep-diving submarines as well as quiet, conventional submarines operating in coastal waters.
It is an upgrade on the Mod 0, which entered service in 1983.
Both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force employ the torpedo, with the latter selecting it in 2023 as its future torpedo capability, along with continued use of the United States Navy’s Mk54.
“The Stingray Mid Life Upgrade Programme will enhance the UK’s lightweight torpedo, significantly improving the anti-submarine warfare capabilities delivered by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force,” Deputy Director Weapons Operating Centre at Defence Equipment & Support, Cdre Richard Harris, said.
“This programme is an essential part of the daily mission that protects the nuclear deterrent and our undersea cables.”
To Support Local Jobs, Boost Economy
Additionally, the award will support more than 80 highly skilled engineering jobs at BAE Systems’ Maritime Services business in Portsmouth and sustain around 20 specialist manufacturing jobs at BAE Systems’ site in Hillend in Fife.
It will also generate further investment into the UK supply chain of small to medium enterprises and high-tech suppliers across the South of England.