Maine News Updates

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products has been awarded a $17 million contract to produce an upgraded version of a rapid-fire Gatling gun system for use in U.S. military operations.

The weapon will be produced at the General Dynamics plant in Saco, under a contract from Raytheon Missile Systems of Lousville, Ky. The radar-directed gun is deployed on Navy ships as the Phalanx Block 1B Close-In Weapon System, and on land as the Centurion Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System. 

Naval ships rely on the weapon as a last line of defense against a variety of threats, including anti-ship missiles, aircraft, high-speed watercraft and other air and surface threats. In its land version, the weapon is mounted on a stabilized wheeled platform to protect ground forces and high-value sites against rocket, artillery and mortar threats.