SAIC Wins MK 48 Torpedo Contract from Australia, Taiwan

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) has won $124 million to support MK 48 MOD 7 heavyweight torpedoes used by the militaries of Australia and Taiwan.

The contract calls for the production of MK 48 Mod 7 heavyweight afterbody/tailcones and warshot fuel tank torpedo equipment and support, the U.S. DoD said in a release today. This contract includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $1.1 billion.

Work is expected to be complete by July 2025.

The MK 48 is used by all classes of submarines as their anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) weapon. It is a heavyweight acoustic-homing torpedo with sophisticated sonar, all-digital guidance-and-control systems, digital fusing systems, and propulsion improvements. Its digital guidance system allows for repeated upgrades to counter evolving threats through software upgrades.

The latest version of the MK 48 is the MOD 7, which is optimized for both traditional and emerging missions. The MK 48 MOD 7 torpedo is the result of a Joint Development Program with the Royal Australian Navy and reached IOC in 2006. The MK 48 MOD 7 hardware upgrade has enabled further software improvements to the MK 48.