The U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command awarded Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory a contract for up to $853 million during the next 10 years to support critical defense work, according to a university press release.

NAVSEA will provide an estimated $415 million during the next five years with an option to renew for an additional five years at $438 million.

The award will allow ARL to continue research in guidance and control of undersea vehicles, underwater navigation, advanced power and energy, hydrodynamics, undersea propulsors and other fluid machinery, advanced materials, and manufacturing technologies to achieve greater performance of our military systems while reducing their cost, communications and information systems, and acoustics, Edward Liszka, director of Penn State’s ARL, said in the release.