USS Arkansas , the last Virginia-class Block 4 submarine being delivered by HII, is expected to launch in the second quarter of 2025. (Janes/Michael Fabey)
HII aims to put 17 submarines under contract in 2025, Chris Kastner, CEO of HII, said during the Citi Global Industrial Tech and Mobility Conference on 18 February. These include the last two Virginia-class Block 5 submarines, 10 Block 6 boats, and five Columbia-class Build II subs.
Negotiations for the two Block 5 boats are ongoing and “I expect that to get done [in the] first part of this year”, Kastner said. “There are going to be funding challenges with getting” the Block 6 and Columbia Build II boats on contract, he added. “There's more work that needs to be done in the Pentagon and with the administration relative to understanding what the cost is going to be.”
Kastner touted the Shipbuilder Accountability and Workforce Support (SAWS) project, a US Navy plan that would allow HII and General Dynamics Electric Boat to take funding in existing contracts for submarines that have not yet begun construction and use it for infrastructure and labour costs. The project would restructure contracts to fit budgets and support US submarine production as well as the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) programme, he said. “We need to get these FY [fiscal year] [20]24 two boats done and then we'll pivot to that [SAWS], because that enables Block 6 and the Columbia Build II,” Kastner said.
Increased throughput
Looking to read the full article?
Gain unlimited access to Janes news and more...
