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General Dynamics (GD) Electric Boat has been awarded a modification contract by the US Navy to plan maintenance and modernisation work on the nuclear-powered Los Angeles-class submarines, USS Hartford (SSN-768) and USS Toledo (SSN-769).
Under the $6.9m follow-on deal, the company will perform dry-docking selected restricted availabilities (DSRAs) on the two submarines.
The DSRAs, which have a combined potential value of $75m, will involve preparation and completion of activities, such as advanced planning and material procurement.
Built by Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics, the Los Angeles-class submarines can support anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, show-of-force and strike missions, as well as mining and search and rescue.
Armed with the land-attack and anti-ship version of the Tomahawk missile, the Los Angeles-class submarines are also integrated with Harpoon anti-ship missiles, as well as 533mm torpedo tubes and Mark 117 torpedo fire control systems.
Powered by a 26MW GE PWR S6G nuclear pressure water reactor, the submarines feature electronic support measures (ESM), which include a BRD-7 direction finding system, the WLR-1H and WLR-8(v)2 interceptors and the WLR-10 radar warning device.
Additional features of the Los Angeles-class submarines include Sperry Marine BPS 15 A/16 surface search, navigation and fire control radar, as well as Northrop AN/ WLY-1 acoustic interception and countermeasures system.
Work will be carried out at Electric Boat’s Groton shipyard in Connecticut, US, while the two DSRAs are due for completion by January 2013.
Image: Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) at a submarine base in New London. Photo: courtesy of John Narewski, US Navy.
