Ohio Class
Posted on 12/21/2003 2:46:49 PM PST by Calpernia
General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. (GD/EB) is being awarded a cost plus incentive fee contract worth $222 million for the conversion of the first Ohio Class Guided Missile Submarine (SSGN), USS Ohio (SSGN 726), and for Long Lead Time Material (LLTM) and Conversion Installation Planning for the Conversion of Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs), the USS Michigan (SSBN 727) and the USS Georgia (SSBN 729), to SSGN 727 and SSGN 729.
Emphasizing the importance of SSGNs, Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England, said, “The SSGN is an example of the Navy's innovative transformation that supports our joint warfighters. With well over 20 years of life remaining, the SSGN conversion will significantly increase the strike capability and the flexibility of our special forces."
Today’s award modifies a contract with GD/EB originally awarded on Sept. 26, 2002, for SSGN detail design, long lead time material, and conversion planning. The contract modification includes a cost plus incentive fee contract for the conversion of SSGN 726 and a cost plus fixed fee contract with performance incentive fee for the installation planning and LLTM for SSGN 727 and SSGN 729. The contract also provides priced options totaling $152 million for the fiscal 2004 Conversion of SSBN 728, the USS Florida to SSGN 728 and for the completion of Conversion Installation Planning for SSGN 729.
Under an innovative teaming arrangement, the SSGN conversions are being conducted in conjunction with engineered refueling overhauls (EROs) performed by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Norfolk Naval Shipyard. GD/EB is the SSGN conversion manager, and provides labor and manufactured components to support conversion execution. The Naval Shipyards perform the EROs, remove affected equipment and provide services and labor to support GD/EB.
Speaking about this contract, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition John J. Young Jr., said, “This agreement shares risk equitably between the government and industry, and it provides strong incentives to GD/EB to assist the return of these vital submarines to the fleet on an aggressive schedule. The conversion teaming arrangement implemented by this contract best uses the experience, facilities, and labor of government and industry to provide an unprecedented capability to the nation.”
Upon completion of their conversions, the SSGNs will be able to carry up to 154 Tomahawk missiles and to function as the host platform for 66 special operations forces (SOF). SSGN 726 began its ERO at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in November 2002, and began conversion work in November 2003. SSGN 728 began its ERO at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in August 2003, with conversion start planned in April 2004. Both the SSGN 726 and the SSGN 728 will complete conversion in fiscal 2006.
Ohio Class
Criminy, an entire invasion force in one vessel.
My buddy is on this team from here in Bremerton. This is saving big $$$$ and lopping off many hours of conversion time.
Yeah, I know but I hate losing any boomers. They're the best deterrent force in the world and I say the more the better.
I still say that by 2012 or so the big political battle will be to rebuild our strategic forces and to rethink our posture. Watch for the Dems (or whatever they will be calling themselve by then) to try to sabotage this force. With growing nuclear blocks (China, India, BRazil and maybe Germany) we will have to build a much more robust deterrent that we have now, and this strategic force will have to have a much wider range of options. It was a grave mistake to halt nuclear weapon research a decade ago when we had such a lead.
If these emerging blocks come together against us we must be prepared to think the unthinkable and be prepared to wage and win a nuclear world war across several continents.
The Ohio's will be be doing their job for several more decades but our ICBM force is going to need replacement starting around 2020 at the very latest. We're retiring the Peacekeeper (MX) ICBM and soon all our Minuteman III's will be de-MIRVed and armed with the warheads removed from the Peacekeepers.
Either we're going to have to build new SSBN's or a new ICBM. I vote for both.
I am really upset about the partiot being taken offline. I think that that was a big mistake. I hope that they have done it in such a way as to quickly bring them back on line. That system was lightyears beyond what the Russians had. It is hard to know where the thought is going on this in the DOD as this area it so "black" and they put out so much disinformation. I hope that the Republican party is aware of the political risks and will prepare the nation to make some strong choices in the years ahead. I fully believe that a large scale nuclear war will be fought in the next 30 to 50 years. We must prepare ourselves. Bush's push on missle defence and high energy weapons is a good start. It would prove to be a shrewd move if we got that working well first and then did the weopons build out when the shield is in place. It might be the only way to do the build out now - otherwise someone would just hit us first.
People bitch about Bush "abandoning Taiwan" but I think that such notions spring from a lack of knowledge and supperficial thinking. The only thing keeping us alive now is the lack of throw weight out there and the sense that Bush would push the buttons. Get in a weak President anytime soon and our strategic posture soes not look to good.
As a bit of news, Russia has just activated a new regiment of Topol-M (SS-27/Sickle) ICBM's.
If there is going to be a nuclear exchange, I believe that it will be either India-Pakistan or on the Korean Peninsula.
Have we taken all of the partiots off line?
I'm assuming you're talking about the anti-missile Patriot system?
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