BAE Systems has been awarded a 141m pound contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to maintain the Seawolf air defence system on board the Royal Navy's Type 22 and Type 23 Frigates.

The SWISS (Seawolf In Service Support) Contract for Availability (CfA), alongside a complementary contract awarded to the missile systems company MBDA, will sustain the capability of the Seawolf system and ensure its readiness and availability until the end of 2017.

The Seawolf system is a fully automatic, all weather, day and night, naval point defence missile system designed to protect surface ships from airborne attack.

Guy Griffiths managing director, BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies said "This long term support solution provides improved availability and continuous improvement through more proactive and flexible support arrangements delivered directly to the ship and cost savings of over pound40M to the Royal Navy over the life-time of the contract."