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The US Navy has awarded BAE Systems a US$92 million (AU$134.4 million) contract to continue the manufacture of propulsor forward assemblies for the Virginia Class nuclear-powered attack submarines.
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Under this contract, BAE Systems will deliver the propulsor forward assemblies, as well as design engineering support services and support and sustainment hardware.
The Navy’s submarine force will continue to receive high-quality and reliable propulsion systems from BAE Systems’ experienced and dedicated submarine structures production workforce at the Submarine Center of Excellence in Louisville, Kentucky.
Brent Butcher, vice-president and general manager of weapon systems at BAE Systems, said, “During the more than three decades that BAE Systems has manufactured propulsors for the US Navy’s submarine fleet, we have developed significant expertise in the fabrication of complex heavy structures.”
The company will also continue to provide expert engineering and business support from its Minneapolis, Minnesota, facility. To date, BAE Systems has delivered 33 forward assemblies to the US Navy.
“We remain committed to building high-quality, reliable submarine structures and systems in support of US Navy shipbuilding requirements, and our expert workforce and facilities are prepared to take on additional complex submarine assemblies to strengthen our strategic submarine industrial base,” Butcher said.
BAE Systems is a longstanding critical member of the US submarine industrial base, providing advanced manufacturing capabilities from its Louisville facility. BAE Systems is also building a heavy propulsor structure for the Columbia Class submarine.
The company’s Louisville site also builds the Virginia Payload Module launch tubes, which enable Virginia Class submarines to fire Tomahawk missiles and future payloads.
As the company continues its support of the Navy’s submarine community, its facilities are ready to take on additional production needs and provide innovative solutions to support the submarine production requirements established by the US shipbuilding community working to meet the needs of the US Navy and its allies.
