RAN gun contract

has announced a $65.8m (£37.8m) contract with the

to produce the Mk 45 Mod 4 Gun for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

The AWD Alliance consists of the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation and Raytheon Australia. BAE Systems will provide three gun systems to form part of AWD’s surface warfare package, while Raytheon will act as integrator for the weapon and radar systems programme.

The five-inch, 62-caliber Mk 45 Mod 4 gun system supports both Australian Navy standard munitions and extended range munitions, proving a valuable tool for the surface and land warfare needs of its new destroyer programme.

Dennis Morris, president of Armament Systems, said: ‘The Mk 45, with its unmatched fire support and mission performance, has been the system of choice for 11 navies around the world.

‘Building the Mk 45 Mod 4 systems for this latest class of advanced warships is another testament to how BAE Systems continues to meet the surface fire support needs of the RAN.’

BAE Systems is the sole producer of the MK 45 gun. The Mod 4 variant has already been installed on the ANZAC Class frigates, the Spanish F100 and the US Navy's DDG 51 destroyers.

The first AWD destroyers are scheduled for delivery in 2014.