Naval Sea Systems Command issues $595 million modification to contract with Northop Grumman
WASHINGTON, 12 Jan. 2008.The U.S. Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Northrop Grumman Newport News in Newport News, Va., a $595,944,566 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-04-C-2118.
The modification is for the continuation of CVN 78 class design effort; long lead time material procurement; and non-nuclear advance construction for the lead ship of the class, Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), including system development, engineering services, and feasibility studies for the Future Aircraft Carrier Program.
"The principal mission of the CVN 78 is: provide credible, sustainable, independent forward presence during peacetime without access to land bases; operate in a supported or supporting role in a joint and/or allied maritime expeditionary force in response to crises; and carry the war to the enemy through joint multimission offensive operations," says program executive officer Carriers Rear Adm. Michael McMahon.
Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) honors the 38th President of the United States and pays tribute to his lifetime of service in the Navy, in the U.S. government and to the nation. It will be the lead ship of a new class of aircraft carriers, the first designed by the U.S. Navy since the Nimitz-class design in the 1960s.
CVN 78 will incorporate many improvements over the NIMITZ-class design, including:
Increased sortie generation rates
New flight deck design for more efficient aircraft operations, including "pit stop" servicing
Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG)
Electro-magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS)
Advanced weapons elevators for faster handling storage
Improved survivability features to meet projected threats
New propulsion plants providing a 25% increase in available energy
All-electric auxiliary services
Zonal electrical distribution system, providing nearly three times the ship service electrical power
Smaller, integrated island
Dual-band Radar
Redesigned Heavy Underway Replenishment (UNREP) System to double underway replenishment rates
Faster material handling, stowage, and strike-down rates
Comprehensive recovery of service life weight and stability margins
Reconfigurable design architecture that will support insertion of transformation technologies through the life of the class
Increased Operational Availability
These improvements provide transformational warfighting capabilities and enable reduced manning, resulting in a reduction of total ownership cost in the range of approximately $5 billion over the life of each ship in the class.
The work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and Groton, Conn.
