Virginia-class submarines get contract modifications from General Dynamics
The attack submarine USS Virginia departs Naval Submarine Base New London en route to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. (US Navy/Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Myers)
There are scheduled to be 51 Virginia-class submarines in the US fleet by the early 2030s.
The US Navy’s Virginia-class submarine fleet is set to benefit from two new contract modifications awarded to General Dynamics Electric Boat Corporation in Groton, Connecticut.
The company won an undefinitised contract action modification (which will not exceed US$878 million) to a previously awarded contract for additional material in support of the planned Virginia-class submarines SSN 812 and SSN 813.
Work on the contract action modification will be spread across the US, from Chesapeake, Virginia to El Cajon, California, along with New Jersey, New York and other locations. A total of $658.5 million of shipbuilding and conversion has initially been allocated to fulfil the contract amendment.
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Meanwhile, the company has also secured a contract action modification award for long lead time material in support of the planned Virginia Class Block VI submarines. Shipbuilding and conversion funds amounting to $349.8 million will be obligated at the time of the award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
Block VI is expected to include improvements that allow the submarines to undertake special operations. A follow-on ‘Improved Virginia-class’ or SSN(X) is expected to follow in the 2030s, which could include anything up to a further 20 to 30 boats.
The Virginia-class submarines are widely regarded as the foundation of US naval power and are, over time, replacing the Los Angeles-class.
The latest FY2025 US Defence Budget request included plans for a total of 51 Virginia-class submarines. Eleven submarines (SSN 812 to SSN 822) are planned for delivery from 2024 through to the end of 2029, which will leave two remaining submarines in the class to be delivered from 2030 onward.
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