General Dynamics (GD) Electric Boat has secured a new $126.5m contract from the US Navy to purchase of long lead time (LLT) material for use on Block V Virginia-class submarines.
The deal will see the LLT material used on the first two Block V Virginia-class submarines, SSN-802 and SSN-803.
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The contract also includes provisions for funding for ship-service turbine generators, steam and electric-plant components, main propulsion units, and miscellaneous hull, mechanical and electrical-system components to facilitate the building of the two submarines.
Construction of the SSN-802 and SSN-803 submarines is slated to commence in fiscal 2019.
Block V submarines will feature an additional mid-body section known as the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), which contains four large-diameter, vertical launch payload tubes to store and fire additional Tomahawk cruise missiles or other payloads, such as large-diameter unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).
The VPM is to be inserted in the new 84ft extended hull section of the submarine, and is expected to boost the strike capacity by more than 230% for each vessel.
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By GlobalDataGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat was awarded a separate $101.3m contract modification by the US Navy in October last year, in order to continue construction of the common missile compartment for the navy's Ohio Replacement submarine, as well as the UK’s Successor-class ballistic-missile submarine.
The modification entailed the acquisition of 22 missile tubes to boost the production of the common missile compartment.
Image: US Navy’s Virginia-class submarine. Photo: courtesy of US Navy photo by General Dynamics Electric Boat.
