Parker Bertea Wins Navy Pact to Make Missile Steering System

Parker Bertea Aerospace has become the sole provider for key steering system components for the U.S. Navy’s Standard Missile program under a one-year contract announced Monday.

While the new contract calls for production and delivery of only 75 missiles, it puts Parker Bertea in prime position to capture additional contracts for steering systems on up to 10,000 missiles over the next decade, said Ralph Kunz, missile team leader at Parker Bertea’s Control Systems Division in Irvine.

Previously, the company was one of two providers of so-called thrust vector actuation systems for the Mark-72 booster used by the Standard Missile--the Navy’s primary surface-to-air missile. The vector system uses electromechanical motors to maneuver the nozzles that direct the thrust from the rocket engines.

There is not expected to be any new hiring connected to the program, a company spokeswoman said. The contract was awarded by the Navy’s prime contractor on the program, Standard Missile Co. of MacLean, Va. Work will be done at Parker Bertea facilities in Irvine, New York and Ohio.