The US Navy has awarded a $169.3m contract to ITT Corporation to upgrade the AN/SPS-48G radar systems onboard aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships.

The contract is part of the AN/SPS-48G radar obsolescence, availability recovery (ROAR) programme that was intended to extend the service life AN/SPS-48G radar systems aboard the vessels until 2050.

The AN/SPS-48E radar features modular digital processors and receivers, tactical integrated digital environment and enhanced built-in-test (BIT) automated maintenance tools.

The radar system improves reliability, availability, maintainability and supportability, while also reducing maintenance costs.

The five-year contract has one base year and four option years, with the initial contract value as $29m.

Work will be carried out at the company’s facility in California, and the full-rate production systems will be delivered between 2011 and 2015.