BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., a business unit of Britain’s biggest defense company BAE Systems, has awarded modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price supply contract valued at as much as $19,6 million for production of Mk38 Mod 3 Machine Gun System (MGS).

The U.S. Department of Defense has announced on 10 June that this contract is to fulfill specified requirements and technical performance requirements for the Mk38 Mod 3 25mm MGS Ordnance Alteration and associated spares.

“The MGS produced is derived from application of an ordnance alteration to the MK 38 MOD 1 25mm MGS. Once installed, incorporates two-axis stabilization, an improved electro-optical sight system (EOS), improved multi-function display, modified main control panel, a new main computing unit, a 7.62mm machine gun and remote control operation,” said in DoD.

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Work will be performed in Haifa, Israel (67 percent); and Louisville, Kentucky (33 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2021.

The company’s website said the Mk38 MGS is a low cost, stabilized self-defense weapon system that dramatically improves ships’ self-defense capabilities in all weather conditions, day or night. Installed aboard 14 different classes of U.S. Navy ships and U.S. Coast Guard cutters, it is used extensively by the U.S. military as well as by NATO forces.

A major upgrade to the Mod 3 is the system’s advanced electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor which provides 330-degree surveillance capability and three fields of view. The superior optics allow sailors to monitor the seas and respond to threats even in extremely low light conditions with the benefits of a low contrast, low light level color day camera and an eye-safe laser range finder.