Courtney, Blumenthal, Murphy Announce $22.5 Million Contract Modification for Electric Boat

WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2), and Connecticut Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy announced that Electric Boat in Groton will receive $22.5 million to support the continued development of a joint missile compartment for new SSBNs for the United States and the United Kingdom. This funding is part of the five year design contract announced in December 2012 to support research and development to replace the current fleet of Ohio Class Submarines.

“This funding is further confirmation that the U.S. Navy recognizes that Electric Boat employees are the best choice to develop the next generation of nuclear submarines,” Courtney said. “Specifically, this funding will advance our cooperation with the United Kingdom in the development of a joint missile compartment to be used for Ohio Replacement submarines and their U.K. equivalent. As work on this critical program continues at E.B., I will continue to support efforts to bring work to the company and keep its top-flight workforce on-the-job.”

Blumenthal said, “Even during challenging economic times, Electric Boat has demonstrated an unparalleled ability to deliver under budget and ahead of schedule. Today’s contract announcement is good news for their workforce and Connecticut’s defense industry, as well as a strong vote of confidence from the U.S. Navy.”

Murphy said, “The men and women at Electric Boat have once again proven their strength and ability to produce some of the best equipment in the industry. This award is a huge win for the company, and will do a great deal to not only improve our country's submarine fleet, but support good Connecticut jobs.”

Under the SSBN(x) program, the Navy is expected to build 12 SSBNs to replace the current fleet of aging Ohio class submarines. The lead ship is currently scheduled to begin construction in 2021, with several years of development, design and advanced construction planned between now and then to support that schedule. The contract modification announced today continues efforts to conduct research, development and prototyping efforts required to keep the keep the joint U.S.-U.K. development effort on the missile compartment on track.