WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Navy has awarded defense contractor Lockheed Martin a $36.7 million contract to upgrade Aegis anti-aircraft and anti-missile tracking systems with a new computer program, the Department of Defense announced.
"Lockheed Martin, Mission Systems and Training, Moorestown, New Jersey, is being awarded a $36,727,286 modification… contract… for Aegis Modernization Advanced Capability Build engineering," the announcement stated on Monday.
The Aegis is an integrated anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense system built by Lockheed Martin that uses computer and radar technology to track and guide weapons to destroy its targets.
The scheduled modernization will provide upgrades to Aegis cruisers and destroyers, and will be applicable to all ships equipped with Aegis systems, according to the Defense Department.
China has warned that the US Navy’s deployment of Aegis systems in the Pacific region could jeopardize Beijing’s strategic deterrent.
