Naval Nuclear Propulsion

Rich Abott Defense Daily A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Tuesday found that the U.S. Navy’s four public shipyards’ facilities and equipment remain in poor condition leading to a continued backlog in maintenance and are inadequate to Navy needs. The four public shipyards are the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Puget Sound […]

Huntington Ingalls Industries and the United Steelworkers have struck a deal for a new labor agreement at the Newport News Shipbuilding division, the company announced Friday. Members of the labor union at Newport News approved in a 1,985-131 vote the new agreement, which continues through Nov. 14, 2021. Its provisions include a 1.5 percent salary […]

The head of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s naval reactors program suggested Wednesday the use of highly enriched uranium for naval propulsion offers a significant advantage over conversion to low-enriched uranium – indicating the U.S. Navy’s longstanding preference for HEU is unlikely to change. Adm. James Caldwell Jr., the NNSA’s deputy administrator for naval reactors, said […]

The head of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s naval reactors program suggested Wednesday the use of highly enriched uranium for naval propulsion offers a significant advantage over conversion to low-enriched uranium – indicating the U.S. Navy’s longstanding preference for HEU is unlikely to change. Admiral James Caldwell Jr., the NNSA’s deputy administrator for naval reactors, said […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said this week that workers have removed the reactor pressure vessel from the STURGIS barge, a key step in completion of dismantlement of the radiologically contaminated vessel. Work began in 2015 at the Port of Galveston in Texas to decommission and disassemble the onetime World War II Liberty Ship […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration has for a second time awarded the management and operations contract for its Nevada National Security Site – this time to Mission Support and Test Services LLC (MSTS), a partnership of Honeywell International, Jacobs Engineering Group, and Stoller Newport News Nuclear. The contract, valued at $5 billion over 10 years […]

Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries on Thursday reported revenue of $1.72 billion in the first quarter of 2017, a 2.2 percent decrease from the same period last year, and operating income of $164 million, down from $198 million year over year. Diluted earnings per share dropped from $2.87 in 2016 to $2.56 in the latest quarter. […]

BWX Technologies on Monday reported $428.2 million in revenue for the first quarter of 2017, up by 17 percent from $364.8 million in the same quarter last year, and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) operating income of $83.2 million, spiking 95 percent year over year from$42.6 million. Earnings per share were reported at $0.55 in the […]

BWX Technologies subsidiary Nuclear Fuel Services has received roughly $141.7 million in first-quarter contract options from the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program for nuclear submarine and aircraft carrier fuel production, development, and decommissioning operations, the company announced last week. BWXT said it has already begun this contract work, with the majority scheduled for completion throughout […]

The earnings season for the first quarter of 2017 is well underway, with Northrop Grumman, Lockeed Martin, and other federal contracting giants rolling out their latest numbers in the last week. Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls will join them with an earnings call scheduled for 9 a.m. Eastern time Thursday. The Newport News, Va.-based company’s revenue and […]

BWX Technologies on Monday said it had secured a $76.2 million contract to produce more Common Missile Compartment (CMC) tube assemblies for next-generation U.S. and U.K. ballistic missile submarines. This is the third contract the BWXT Nuclear Operations Group has received from Columbia-class vessel prime General Dynamics Electric Boat for the assemblies – the vertical […]

BWX Technologies on Monday said it had secured a $76.2 million contract to produce more Common Missile Compartment (CMC) tube assemblies for next-generation U.S. ballistic missile submarines. This is the third contract the BWXT Nuclear Operations Group has received from General Dynamics Electric Boat for the tube assemblies, following deals in November 2014 and March […]

A top U.S. general on Thursday joined military leadership and lawmakers in condemning the continuing resolution that is currently funding the government and is soon to expire, asking Congress to deliver a budget for the Pentagon in the coming weeks – even if it is subject to spending constraints. “This is the ninth year that […]

The nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia continue to fluctuate as the two countries work to meet the terms of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), according to the latest aggregate data released Monday by the U.S. State Department. The bilateral accord requires each country by next February to cap its […]

Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said Tuesday he is “reviewing” the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, underscoring the Defense Department’s focus on addressing Russia’s violation of the 1987 accord. U.S. officials in February said Russia has deployed a ground-launched nuclear-capable cruise missile with two battalions in breach of the treaty, which […]

New Mexico Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall on Tuesday introduced a resolution that calls on the secretary of the Navy to name the next nuclear submarine the “USS Los Alamos” in honor of the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s contributions to the service. The senators’ press release noted that 2018 will be the 75th anniversary […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily The U.S. Navy loaded the first two life-extended Trident II D-5 ballistic missiles on an Ohio-class submarine last month, a service official said March 8. The event was a “significant milestone” for the nuclear-armed missile, said Adm. Bill Moran, vice chief of naval operations, who testified before the House Armed Services […]

There is no more room to delay construction and deployment of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine if the United States is to maintain a continually viable sea-based nuclear deterrent, the former head of the program said last week. The U.S. Navy’s current fleet of 14 Ohio-class submarines will begin to retire about a decade from […]

The House of Representatives approved Wednesday a $577.9 defense appropriations billion for fiscal 2017 by a vote of 233-185, with three Republicans against the legislation and five Democrats in favor. The House Appropriations Committee last week introduced the bill, which funds the Defense Department at a level $5.2 billion higher than the fiscal 2016 enacted […]

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a $577.9 billion bill for funding the Defense Department in fiscal 2017, which began last October. The Pentagon and all other federal agencies have operated under two separate continuing resolutions in this budget year. The latest resolution expires in late April. The bill passed the house by a […]

The U.S. Navy loaded the first two life-extended Trident II D-5 ballistic missiles on an Ohio-class submarine last month, a service official said March 8. The event was a “significant milestone” for the nuclear-armed missile, said Adm. Bill Moran, vice chief of naval operations, who testified before the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on […]

The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday introduced its fiscal 2017 defense appropriations bill, which funds the Defense Department’s national security needs at $577.9 billion – $5.2 billion higher than the fiscal 2016 enacted level and $1.6 billion more than former President Barack Obama’s request. The bill, scheduled for consideration this week on the House floor, proposes […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily The U.S. Navy and General Dynamics Electric Boat may soon wrap up negotiations on the detail design contract for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, an industry official said March 1. “We expect to continue [the negotiations] for the next month or so and get to the point where we reach an agreement,” said […]

Huntington Ingalls Industries on Thursday reported modest revenue and operating income increases for both fourth-quarter and full-year 2016. Specifically, the shipbuilder reported fourth-quarter revenue of $1.9 billion, a 0.9 percent increase from the same year-ending period of 2015. Meanwhile, it brought in $7.1 billion in revenue over the full year, up by 0.7 percent from […]

Huntington Ingalls Industries on Thursday reported modest revenue and operating income increases for both fourth-quarter and full-year 2016. Specifically, the shipbuilder reported fourth-quarter revenue of $1.9 billion, a 0.9 percent increase from the same year-ending period of 2015. Meanwhile, it brought in $7.1 billion in revenue over the full year, up by 0.7 percent from […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily President Donald Trump, who recently vowed to cut the cost of new Navy submarines, has various tools at his disposal that could help him achieve his goal, according to a naval expert. One such tool would be using multi-year procurement contracts for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, which is currently in development, […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily The Navy has formally received the go-ahead to begin detailed design of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine. Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall signed a memorandum late Jan. 4 authorizing the program’s next development phase. His move follows a Defense Acquisition Board review of the program in November. The Navy plans to build […]

The Defense Department last week awarded Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. two contract modifications for work in support of the Trident II (D5) missile, a submarine-launched ballistic missile deployed on the United States’ Ohio-class vessels and the United Kingdom’s Vanguard-class submarines. The Pentagon on Dec. 27 announced a $17 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to exercise an option for Trident II […]

Rich Abott Defense Daily The U.S. Navy awarded BAE Systems a $368 million five-year contract to provide systems engineering and support services to the service’s Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) office, which covers strategic and attack weapons systems on U.S. and U.K. ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), the company said Wednesday. SSP specifically overseas the Strategic Weapons System and […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily Six senators and 33 House members have signed letters urging key congressional appropriators to pass language allowing the successor to the Navy’s Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine to enter its next development phase. Navy officials have said the Ohio Replacement Program (ORP) must begin detailed design work by January to meet a requirement […]