Huntington Ingalls Industries received a $25.5 million contract modification to continue advance fabrication work for the Ford-class Enterprise aircraft carrier.
Ford-class carriers are vessels slated to replace the U.S. Navy's existing Nimitz-class fleet. Under the modification, Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of HII, will begin initial structural fabrication and shop work on the developing carrier through March 2018.
"This award authorizes us to begin fabrication of structural components, sub-components, sub-units and pre-assemblies in our manufacturing shops to support the 2018 construction of Enterprise," HII Newport News Shipbuilding vice president Mike Shawcross said in a press release.
Ford-class development projects have been consistently marked with delays ahead of the delivery of the first vessel, USS Gerald Ford. According to HII officials, the recent contract modification allows the shipbuilder to apply lessons learned from previous projects.
"This is an important step in getting this next Ford-class ship off to a great start, as it allows us to continue implementation of lessons learned, and the initial steel work will allow us to utilize our aircraft carrier steel production line in an efficient manner," Shawcross added.
The USS Enterprise, designated CVN 80, takes its name from the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in history, and is the eighth vessel to carry the name. The Ford-class carriers are being designed to carry 5th-generation aircraft including the Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II.
Keel laid for future USS Lyndon B. Johnson
Bath, Maine (UPI) Jan 31, 2017 –
The U.S. Navy held a keel laying and authentication ceremony for the future USS Lyndon B. Johnson Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer.
The keel laying ceremony marked the joining of the developing ship's components months ahead of the start of the ship's construction. The event was held at General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works' shipyard in Bath, Maine, and was attended by industry and military partners in addition to daughters of former President Lyndon B. Johnson.
"We've made tremendous progress on this ship, and although we're celebrating an early production milestone, we're nearing 60 percent completion on the future Lyndon B. Johnson," DDG 1000 program manager Capt. Kevin Smith said in a press release.
Once completed, the vessel will be the third ship in the U.S. Navy's Zumwalt-class of destroyers, a modern variant designed to replace the branch's legacy Arleigh Burke-class fleet.
Zumwalt-class ships, including the flagship USS Zumwalt and USS Michael Mansoor, are equipped with modern electric propulsion systems, stealth designs, and modern weapons and supporting technology. The vessels are fitted to perform a variety of deterrence missions and project power at sea.
The keel for the future USS Lyndon B. Johnson was laid down as Bath Iron Works continues production for the future USS Michael Monsoor. The Zumwalt is currently undergoing sea trials.
