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SSBN Vanguard Class
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GDEB gets $26.3 million order for CMC prototype materials. (Feb 16/10)

SSBNs are nuclear missile submarines. The Common Missile Compartment (CMC) sub-program would define the missile tubes and accompanying systems that would be used to launch new ballistic missiles, successors to the current Trident II/ D5 missile fleet used by the USA and Britain. Options include an increased diameter from 2.21m launch tubes to 3.04m, and the missile compartment will reportedly carry just 12 tubes each, as opposed to the current Ohio SSBNs’ 24, or the Vanguard SSBNs’ 16.

At present, both France and Russia are already working on successor sub-launched ballistic missile systems and submarines. The USA’s Ohio/ Henry M. Jackson Class and Britain’s Vanguard Class SSBNs will begin experiencing age-related risks by the late 2010s, and military programs of this type can easily take 15-20 years from concept to fielding. The CMC will help to define one of the next-generation SSBN’s most important constraints…

Trident D5 (larger)
and C4 predecessor
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It may also create opportunities. One is commonality with the USA’s SSBN (X) program, which is beginning to look at options for replacement of the Ohio class. The other is a flexibility opportunity. Converted Ohio class SSGNs have already replaced nuclear missiles with American special forces and land attack missiles, and the Virginia Class Block III fast attack submarine replaces 12 vertical-launch cruise missile tubes with 2 Common Weapon Launcher “six-shooters” derived from the SSGNs’ converted missile tubes. The size of those CWLs will allow these submarines to launch cruise missiles, UAVs, UUVs, and more from these same tubes.

There is no question that the future Common Missile Compartment will be built around the nuclear deterrence mission, as its primary focus. That is unlikely to be its sole use, however, and it would not be surprising if some of those other potential uses ended up influencing the CMC’s design.

Contracts and Key Events

Ohio class SSBN, tubes open
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Feb 16/10: General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. in Groton, CT received an $26.3 million modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-2100) for continued procurement of common missile compartment prototype material, as well as manufacturing and testing activities for the United Kingdom Successor SSBN and the Ohio Replacement SSBN. Work will be performed in Groton, Conn., and is expected to be complete by January 2012. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC manages the contract.

The award modifies a $76 million contract announced in December 2008 for engineering, technical services, concept studies and design for the CMC (see Dec 23/08 entry) If all options are exercised and funded, the overall contract would have a value of more than $630 million. GDEB release.

Jan 21/10: General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. in Groton, CT received an $118.2 million modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-2100), exercising options for continued engineering, technical services, concept studies and design of a common missile compartment for the United Kingdom Successor SSBN and the Ohio Replacement SSBN. Work will be performed in Groton, CT (89%); Newport News, VA (7%); Quonset, RI (3%); and Newport, RI (1%), and is expected to be complete by December 2010. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC manages the contract.

This modification exercises an existing option that provides for continuation of CMC design, CMC concept studies, ship concept studies, engineering, and technical services, and whole ship integration engineering and concept studies to determine key ship attributes that impact CMC design. Additionally, this contract action will support completion of studies and design work including completion of a preliminary design review, a missile tube critical design review, and a missile module critical design review. See also Jane’s report.

Dec 23/08: General Dynamics Electric Boat Corporation, Groton, CT receives a $75.6 million sole-source, cost plus fixed fee contract to perform concept studies and design of a Common Missile Compartment (CMC) for the United Kingdom Successor SSBN and the USA’s Ohio Class Replacement program. This contract includes options which would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $591.8 million, and take design work to December 2013.

Work will be performed in Groton, CT (92), Newport News, VA (4%), Quonset, RI (3%), and Newport, RI (1%), and is expected to be complete by December 2009 for the base contract, and December 2013 if all options are exercised. This contract was not competitively procured, and is formally run through the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC (N00024-09-C-2100). At present, this contract involves Foreign Military Sales to the United Kingdom (100%), but that may change.