The U.S. Strategic Systems Programs office awarded Northrop Grumman Systems a $22.7 million contract modification for further work on the common missile compartment of the U.S. Navy’s new Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines.
Under the latest contract, Northrop Grumman will provide support for technical engineering services, design and development engineering, component and full scale test and evaluation engineering, and tactical underwater launcher hardware production.
The contract also has options, which if exercised, would bring the maximum value of the contract to $198,048,723.
General Dynamics is the main contractor responsible for the development of the missile compartment that will be shared with the Royal Navy’s Successor submarines as the two countries also share the Trident D-5 ballistic missiles.
In October 2016 General Dynamics Electric Boat received a $101.3 million contract to produce the first 22 missile tubes while the UK cut first steel on its Successor submarine that will be named HMS Dreadnought.
Contsruction of the U.S. Navy Columbia-class submarines (formerly known as Ohio-replacement) is expected to start in 2021.