Military Sentinel, Washington – The U.S. Navy has awarded a $139 million contract modification to L3Harris Technologies for the continued delivery and sustainment of advanced submarine tech, outfitting frontline fast-attack and ballistic missile boats with modular imaging masts.
The cost-plus-fixed-fee award, issued via Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), supports the fleet’s Low-Profile Mast (LPM) program. Under the contract, L3Harris will serve as the prime contractor and design agent for both the Type 20 and Type 24 mast configurations, which serve as the electro-optical eyes of the Navy’s undersea strike and deterrence forces.
Retiring the Classical Periscope
The procurement represents a continued operational pivot away from legacy optical periscopes toward digital photonics arrays. Traditional optical periscopes rely on long, hull-penetrating metal tubes equipped with physical mirrors and lenses, requiring the control room to sit directly below the sail.
By contrast, the Low-Profile Mast uses a non-hull-penetrating telescoping arm. Digital cables pipe sensor telemetry down to workstations anywhere inside the hull, enhancing structural integrity and freeing up valuable internal deck space:
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360-Degree Panoramic Imaging: High-definition visible-light and thermal infrared cameras provide complete horizon awareness in seconds.
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Reduced Visual & Radar Cross-Section: Slender mast geometry minimizes radar reflectivity, surface wake, and visual detection risks while operating at periscope depth.
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Rapid Snap-Look Architecture: Crews can extend the mast, record a spherical panoramic sweep of the surface, and immediately retract it, avoiding prolonged exposure to airborne and satellite maritime surveillance.
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Electronic Warfare Integration: Modular sensor heads house passive electronic support measures (ESM) to classify radar and communications emissions from adversary surface ships.
“Delivering decisive undersea superiority capabilities to our sailors is at the core of everything we do,” Nino DiCosmo, President of Maritime, Space & Mission Systems at L3Harris, said in an official statement confirming the award. “The LPM represents a critical leap forward in submarine stealth and situational awareness, ensuring our fleet maintains superiority beneath the waves for decades to come.”
Equipping Virginia and Columbia Fleets
Work under the $139 million allocation directly supports two pivotal submarine classes: the combat-proven Virginia-class (SSN-774) fast-attack submarines and the upcoming Columbia-class (SSBN-826) ballistic missile submarines.
For the Virginia class, advanced optronic masts allow fast-attack crews to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) closer to contested shorelines, particularly in anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) bastions. For the Columbia class—which forms the sea-based leg of America’s nuclear triad rapid visual updates without surface lingering are essential to guarantee continuous deterrent survivability without compromising stealth.
Engineering support, systems integration, and production activities will be centered out of L3Harris facilities in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Strategic Implications in Contested Seas
The Navy’s sustained investment reflects an escalating technological race in anti-submarine warfare (ASW). China and Russia continue deploying AI-driven acoustic arrays, ocean-surveillance satellite constellations, and high-altitude maritime patrol drones designed to catch submarines breaking the surface.
As periscope depth becomes the most hazardous regime in undersea warfare, reducing sensor exposure time from minutes to seconds is no longer just an upgrade it is a core tactical necessity for fleet survival.
