The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $24 million contract modification to procure and manufacture long-lead time material for the Trident SSGN, a multimission submarine optimized for covert strike and special operations support. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics.
This award modifies a five-year, $436 million contract, awarded in September 2002, for the detailed design and related support work to convert the
first four Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines (also known as Tridents) to an SSGN configuration. If all options are exercised and funded, the contract will be worth a total of $596 million.
The submarines to be converted, coincident with their mid-life refuelings, are USS Ohio (SSBN-726), USS Michigan (SSBN-727), USS Florida (SSBN-728) and USS Georgia (SSBN-729). Electric Boat designed and built all 18 ships of the Ohio class.
With the capacity to carry up to 154 Tomahawk missiles and 102 Special Operations troops, SSGNs are considered prime examples of military transformation initiatives. Additionally, SSGNs will serve as platforms to develop and test new weapons systems, sensors and operational concepts that could further transform naval warfare.
The manufacturing work to be performed under the contract modification will be done in Groton, Conn. (18 percent), and Quonset Point, R.I.