An Evolved Seasparrow Missile is launched from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. 

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded a $178 million Navy contract to provide advanced ship-defense missiles for the U.S. Navy and several allies.

The contract calls for procurement of 186 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile Block I complete rounds, plus inert operation missiles, spare components, shipping containers and other production-related support, according to a Pentagon contract notice.

The contract includes foreign military sales to Spain, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, and about a third of the work will be performed in Tucson with the rest performed at various contractor and customer sites in the U.S. and Germany, Australia, Canada, Norway, Spain and the Netherlands.

The work, expected to be completed by March 2020, is being funded with fiscal 2016 weapons procurement funding and about $125 million in foreign military sales funding, the Pentagon said.


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