General Dynamics Electric Boat has earned a U.S. Navy contract modification valued at $100.4 million to provide lead-yard services for Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics Corp., and one of two companies under contract to build the submarines.
Electric Boat will develop, maintain and update design drawings and data, including technology insertions, for each Virginia-class submarine throughout construction and “post-shakedown availability” periods. The post shakedown availability, or PSA, is the availability classification that the Navy uses for newly built, activated or converted ships upon completion of a shakedown (i.e., commissioning) cruise.
The work will be managed by Electric Boat's engineering and design organization. Its 4,000 employees will work on all facets of the submarine lifecycle, from concept formulation and design through construction, maintenance and modernization, and eventually to inactivation and disposal.
The shipbuilder detailed that the new contract has a potential value of $881 million through 2014, if all options are exercised and funded.
The Virginia-class is a series of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines built by Electric Boat and the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. The subs are designed for a wide range of open ocean or littoral (near shore) missions. Construction of the first vessel began in 2000, and the first submarine was launched in 2004. To date, nine submarines have been completed and launched.
