The guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt arrives at its homeport in San Diego. The Navy this week awarded contracts to Raytheon and Bath Iron Works for work on the class of ships. File Photo courtesy Petty Officer 3rd Class Emiline L. M. Senn/U.S. Navy

Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy has contracted Raytheon and Bath Iron Works for work enhancing Zumwalt-class destroyers.

Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, was awarded a $26.4 million contract for engineering, technical, planning and other types of support for the Zumwalt class, also known as the DDG 1000 class. The contract covers work during the destroyers' post-delivery and in-service life-cycle phases, the Defense Department said Wednesday.


The Navy also awarded a $17 million contract to Raytheon for work to add Zumwalt capabilities to the Standard Missile-2. Raytheon's work on the deal is expected to be completed by March 2022 and $16.95 million will be paid for at the time of award from Navy fiscal 2017 and 2018 weapons procurement funds and foreign military sales funds.

Bath Iron Works' contract covers work expected to finish by December 2023 and will be paid for with $25.6 million in the Navy's fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion; and research, development, test and evaluation funds at the time of the award.

On its website, Bath Iron Works says the Zumwalt-class vessel "is the U.S. Navy's next-generation, guided-missile naval destroyer, leading the way for a new generation of advanced multi-mission surface combat ships."

However, the stealth destroyer class's multi-billion-dollar rollout has been fraught with complications -- its stealth features, in particular, may be degrading. The Navy recently told Congress it was considering scrapping the intended long-range Advanced Gun System on the ships as well.

Vice Adm. William Merz told a Senate subcommittee late last month that the class is expected to be in operation by 2021.