Newport News Shipbuilding contract to support Research and Development for future submarines.

According to a contract published by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on February 11, 2021, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division, Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $13,435,247 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering and technical design effort to support research and development concept formulation for current and future submarine platforms.
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U.S. Navy Virginia-class submarine USS Delaware (SSN-791) manufactured by Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (Picture source Huntington Ingalls Industries)

This contract procures advanced submarine research and development (R&D) including studies to support assessments, development, design studies and tests; provide on-site engineering, logistics and technical services; and integrate/incorporate technologies for land-based or at-sea tests/demonstrations.

Development and design of advanced submarine R&D technologies include integration/incorporation of developing technologies as well as advanced development models into the designated R&D test platform(s) and current and future submarine platforms.

Using expertise developed from building dozens of submarines, Newport News Shipbuilding is one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines. We also provide design and engineering services and fleet maintenance support around the world. 

The Virginia class, also known as the SSN-774 class, is a class of nuclear-powered cruise missile fast-attack submarines, currently in military service in the United States Navy also designed and manufactured by Huntington Ingalls Industries and General Dynamics's Electric Boat.  The U.S. Navy has been procuring Virginia-class SSNs since Fiscal Year (FY)1998. The first submarine entered in service with the U.S. Navy in October 2004. The Virginia-class design was developed to be less expensive and better optimized for post-Cold War submarine missions than the Seawolf-class design. The baseline Virginia-class design is slightly larger than the Los Angeles-class design but incorporates newer technologies, including technologies used in the Seawolf-class design.

Newport News Shipbuilding is partnering with General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB) to build the Columbia Class of submarines, the newest generation of ballistic missile submarines for the U.S.Navy replacing the aging Ohio-Class nuclear-powered submarines which are in service since 1976. The new submarines will make up one leg of the U.S. strategic nuclear deterrent triad. The 561-foot-long submarines will include a new life-of-ship reactor, an electric drive propulsion system and field 16 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles.