Lockheed Receives $16.7M VL-ASROC Contract

VL-ASROC test(click to view full) Lockheed Martin Corp. in Akron, OH received a $16.7 million undefinitized ceiling priced order under a previously awarded contract, to build various components for the MK54 vertical launched ASROC (anti-submarine rocket) missiles. Work will be performed in Akron, OH, and is expected to be complete by August 2012. This contract was not competitively awarded by the US Naval Inventory Control Point in Mechanicsburg, PA (N00104-07-G-0726, #0006). See also FBO solicitation. The Mk-54 is the USA’s newest lightweight torpedo, replacing the older Mk-46. The RUM-139 VL-ASROC can be crudely described as a rocket attached to a break-away torpedo, which offers a number of advantages. One is an expanded firing range of up to 15 nautical miles or so. Another is the ability to load VL-ASROCs into Mk.41 vertical launch systems. A loaded cell can give even ships without deck-mounted torpedo tubes a snap-response capability against enemy submarines.