BAE Systems has received a $26 million contract to equip the U.S. Navy?s Constellation class frigates with the fully-automatic 57mm Mk 110 naval gun. The contract awarded earlier this month includes engineering support and calls for two Mk 110s for the USS Constellation (FFG 62) and USS Congress (FFG 63). The new Constellation class of multi-mission guided-missile frigates is designed to operate in blue water and in the littorals, for an increased forward naval presence. The Mk 110 gun system, known internationally as the Bofors 57 Mk 3, is the deck gun of choice for the Constellation class. It is a multi-mission, medium-caliber shipboard weapon, effective against air, surface, or ground threats without requiring multiple round types. The system is capable of firing up to 220 rounds per minute at an effective range of more than nine nautical miles using BAE Systems? six-mode programmable, pre-fragmented, and proximity-fused (3P) ammunition.