Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) subsidiary Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) has received a follow-on contract for the supply of materials for the construction of the US Navy’s second Gerald R Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, John F Kennedy (CVN 79).
Under the $60.8m modification contract, HII will procure major, long-lead-time materials such as conditioning systems, controllers and pumps for CVN 79 if required.
In addition to providing advance construction, lifecycle support, logistics and other data, the company will provide necessary research studies, engineering, design, related development efforts, advanced planning and procurement for detailed design and construction of the CVN 79 carrier.
NNS CVN 79 construction vice president Mike Shawcross said that the additional funding would help the team meet efficiency objectives.
"We have been working with our suppliers to come up with more affordable ways to procure material for the Kennedy, and this contract modification is an example of implementing some of these initiatives," Shawcross said.
John F Kennedy will feature a flight-deck, enhanced weapons handling systems and a redesigned island for improved aircraft sortie generation rates.
Additional features of the vessel include increased electrical power generation capacity and the flexibility for the implementation of future technologies.
With a lower total ownership cost, the aircraft carrier is expected to provide improved capabilities for the navy.
Scheduled to be complete by October 2015, work under the contract will be carried out in Newport News facility in Virginia, US, while the US Naval Sea Systems Command will serve as the contracting activity.
The CVN 79 construction contract is expected to be awarded later this year.
Image: An illustration USS John F Kennedy aircraft carrier. Photo: courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.
