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BAE Systems acquires railgun developer

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DAHLGREN, Va. – The electromagnetic railgun prototype launcher is helping to bring the Navy a step closer to producing a next-generation, long-range weapon for surface ships. Technical experts and officials from the Department of Defense, private industry, military and academia capped a three-day conference by touring the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, including its electromagnetic launch facility, Sept. 22. They discussed defense acquisition, mission engineering, electromagnetic maneuver, and electronic warfare systems during the Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare Systems Engineering and Acquisition Conference in partnership with the Association of Old Crows. The event provided a collaborative environment for discussions on the challenges associated with EMW, and the capabilities being developed to address the needs of this critical warfighting approach. (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)

BAE Systems has completed its acquisition of IAP Research, an electronics firm that has worked on the U.S. Navy’s Electromagnetic Railgun project, or EMRG.

“This acquisition enhances both IAP Research and BAE Systems’ capabilities for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development of the Electromagnetic Railgun,” Erwin Bieber, BAE’s president for platforms and services, said in a BAE news release. “We look forward to leveraging our combined workforces and long-standing strategic partnership to successfully develop and produce advanced weapon systems, such as the EMRG, and pursue other business opportunities that incorporate our innovative technologies and capabilities.”

Ohio-based IAP employs approximately 40 people and has been a BAE subcontractor on the railgun for more than 10 years.

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Michael Peck is a correspondent for Defense News and a columnist for the Center for European Policy Analysis. He holds an M.A. in political science from Rutgers University. Find him at theuncommondefense.com. His email is mikedefense1@gmail.com.