GROTON, Conn., Dec. 2,
2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy today awarded General
Dynamics Electric Boat a contract valued at $22.2 billion for the construction of 9 new
Virginia-class submarines. The contract also includes the
option of a tenth ship to be constructed within the contract time
frame, bringing the total potential contract value to approximately
$24.1 billion. Electric Boat is
a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
The multi-year 'Block V' contract enables Electric Boat as prime
contractor, along with its teammate, Newport News Shipbuilding, to
deliver Virginia-class fast-attack submarines with advanced
capabilities and expanded capacity to the Navy. Construction on
Block V ships will begin this year, with deliveries scheduled from
2025 through 2029.
"This contract allows for our shipbuilding team, our suppliers
and our employees to plan ahead so that we can continue to deliver
submarines of unmatched quality, stealth and lethality," said
Kevin M. Graney, President, General
Dynamics Electric Boat. "Increasing the cadence of our
production from one per year to two, coupled with the start of full
production of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine,
represents a generational increase in submarine production for our
nation."
"We are prepared to meet the challenge," said Graney.
Ships of the Virginia class
exemplify the commitment by the Navy and industry to reduce costs
through a multi-year procurement strategy, continuous improvements
in construction practices and cost-reduction design changes.
Over the life of the Virginia
program, shipbuilders have driven delivery timelines from 88 months
in Block I to a current average rate of 68 months, while doubling
the build rate of submarines to two ships per year and consistently
increasing ship capability.
Eight of the ships produced for Block V will include the
Virginia Payload Module (VPM), which Electric Boat will build at a
recently-constructed facility at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. The VPM will comprise four
additional large-diameter payload tubes located amidships,
increasing the fixed strike capacity of the ship by more than 230
percent. VPM, which was designed by Electric Boat, will
enable enhanced use of Special Operating Forces and allow the Navy
to bring aboard additional weapons, sensors and other special
payloads.
Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding already have
delivered 18 Virginia-class submarines to the Navy and all 10 Block
IV submarines are currently under construction.
Virginia-class submarines displace 7,800 tons, with a hull length
of 377 feet and a diameter of 34 feet. With VPM, the submarines
will displace 10,200 tons and have a length of 460 feet. They
are capable of speeds in excess of 25 knots and can dive to a depth
greater than 800 feet, while carrying Mark 48 advanced capability
torpedoes, Tomahawk land-attack missiles and unmanned underwater
vehicles.
General Dynamics Electric Boat, a business unit of General
Dynamics, has a workforce of more than 17,000 employees at its
three primary locations in Groton
and New London, Connecticut, and
Quonset Point, Rhode Island. More
information about Electric Boat is available at
www.gdeb.com.
General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company that
offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business
aviation; combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; IT
services; C4ISR solutions; and shipbuilding and ship repair.
Headquartered in Reston, Virginia,
General Dynamics employs more than 100,000 people worldwide and
generated $36.2 billion in revenue in
2018. More information about General Dynamics is available at
www.gd.com.
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SOURCE General Dynamics