The US Navy christened one of its newest attack submarines, the future USS Montana, at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division ..
Virginia class
Keel laid for future US Navy submarine Idaho
General Dynamics Electric Boat laid the keel for the future US Navy attack submarine USS Idaho on Monday, August 24. The submarine will be the 26th in the Virginia-class ..
Top Stories 2019: U.S. Navy Acquisition
This post is part of a series of review stories looking back at the top naval news from 2019.
2019 started with a surprise in the Navy budget request: the service needed to buy and test unmanned surface vehicles immediately to reach its ultimate goals for the surface force, and it was willing to sacrifice almost anything – including sidelining an aircraft carrier – to free up the funds to do so.
The year continued with a contract award for the first carrier-based unmanned aircraft, troubles with...
https://news.usni.org/2020/01/03/top-stories-2019-u-s-navy-acquisition
HII: Block V Virginia SSN Contract Balances Budget Realities With Operational Needs
Rendering of Block V Virginia-class submarine with Virginia Payload Module. General Dynamics Electric Boat Image
Negotiations to build the Block V Virginia-class submarines will likely result in a contract for fewer subs than what Congress authorized, than the Navy wants and than industry can build, a shipbuilding executive told Wall Street analysts on Thursday.
Mike Petters, chief executive of shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries, described the Navy’s ongoing Block V negotiations as an...
GAO Says Columbia Submarine Risks Running Over Budget Due to Immature Technology
An undated artist’s rendering of the planned Columbia-class submarine. Naval Sea Systems Command Image
The Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, the Navy’s top acquisition priority, is at risk of running over its $115-billion construction budget because the service underestimated labor costs and overestimated the savings associated with awarding a multi-year contract, according to a General Accountability Office report released Monday.
It also risks running over schedule: several critical...
Navy: Lack of Submarine Parts Slowing Down Maintenance, New Construction
USS Hawaii (SSN-776) off of Oahu, Hawaii during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, July 9, 2018 . US Navy photo.
CAPITOL HILL – A competition for material between submarine construction and submarine maintenance is contributing to slowdowns in both, the Navy’s acquisition chief told USNI News today.
The Navy has more submarine maintenance to conduct than its four public shipyards can accommodate. As a result, the service has been shifting maintenance availabilities of its older Los...
https://news.usni.org/2019/03/26/navy-lack-submarine-parts-slowing-maintenance-new-construction
Navy Appoints Admiral to Oversee Columbia Sub Effort
Artist’s rendering of the Columbia-class SSBN submarine. US Navy image.
THE PENTAGON – The Navy is standing up a new Program Executive Office for Columbia, pulling the ballistic-missile submarines out of the PEO Submarines portfolio and giving it a one-star admiral who can provide constant focus and leadership as the Columbia program moves from design into construction.
James Geurts, the Navy’s acquisition chief, told a small group of reporters today that the decision to create a new PEO now...
https://news.usni.org/2019/03/06/navy-standing-peo-columbia-ensure
Lawmakers Push for More Sub Repairs at Private Yards, Ahead of Navy Releasing Maintenance Strategies
USS Greeneville (SSN-772) sits atop blocks in Dry Dock #1 at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Feb. 21, 2001. DoD photo.
As the Navy grapples with current backlogs of work at public maintenance yards and finalizes its longer-term plans for fleet maintenance, some lawmakers are pushing the Navy to send more attack submarine maintenance work to private shipbuilders.
In last week’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Navy...
Report to Congress on Virginia-Class Attack Submarine Program
The following is the Oct. 22, 2018 Congressional Research Service report, Navy Virginia (SSN-774) Class Attack Submarine Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress.
From the report
The Navy has been procuring Virginia (SSN-774) class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) since FY1998. The two Virginia-class boats that the Navy has requested for procurement in FY2019 would be the 29th and 30th boats in the class, and the first two to be covered under a multiyear procurement (MYP) contract...
https://news.usni.org/2018/10/23/report-congress-virginia-class-attack-submarine-program-6