BAE Systems has received a $175 million contract from the U.S. Navy to modernize the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69). The Vicksburg will undergo approximately 18 months of work at the company’s shipyard in Norfolk, Va., the ship’s homeport. The modernization period (MODPRD) contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $175.1 million. BAE Systems initiated the first phase of Vicksburg’s modernization program in May 2017. The company will begin the final phase of work, called MODPRD, later this month. Under the new contract, the shipyard’s employees and industry partners will work on the ship’s weapons and engineering equipment, including its gas turbine propulsion system; restore crew habitability spaces, and support the installation of a new Aegis combat system, communication suite and CANES (Consolidated Afloat Network Enterprise System). The Vicksburg’s MODPRD is scheduled to be complete in July 2021, allowing the ship to rejoin the operational fleet afterward.