Ohio replacement vessel

General Dynamics (GD) Electric Boat has received a contract modification from the US Navy to continue manufacturing common missile compartment (CMC) tubes for the Ohio replacement (OR) and the UK’s Successor ballistic-missile submarines.

The latest $83.8m contract will fund the development of 17 tactical missile tubes, 12 for the UK Successor, four for the OR and one for the Strategic Weapons System-Ashore (SWSA) test facility.

As part of the five-year $1.85bn agreement, which started in 2012, approximately 241 missile tubes will be manufactured over the course of the programme, with 192 for OR’s 12 vessels, 48 for Successor’s four submarines, and one for the SWSA.

The contract has a potential value of $2.3bn, if all options are exercised.

Research and development work for the navy’s next-generation ballistic-missile submarine, which is set for construction in 2021, is also included.

According to GD, the 50t, 45ft tall CMC missile tube is equivalent to the height of a four-story office building.

"The latest $83.8m contract will fund the development of 17 tactical missile tubes."

The contract will also support near-term Virginia-class technology integration, future submarine concepts and core technologies.

Integrated with Lockheed Martin-built Trident missiles, the Ohio-class submarines include Northrop Grumman’s advanced SEAL delivery system (ASDS) and four 533mm torpedo tubes with an Mk118 digital fire-control system.

The 16,600t submarines offer a maximum cruising speed of over 25k, through a 325hp Magnatek auxiliary propeller motor, and are also equipped with an AN/BQQ-10 (V4) sonar processing system and BPS 15A I / J-band radar.

The UK Royal Navy’s Successor nuclear-powered submarines will replace four Vanguard-class nuclear-powered vessels from 2028.


Image: The US Navy’s Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729). Photo: courtesy of mass communication specialist 1st Class Rex Nelson.

Defence Technology