Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has been awarded a US$33.5 million contract modification to commence advance planning and long-lead material procurement for the inactivation and defuelling of the US Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.
The contract award is part of the final retirement planning phase of the veteran carrier, which recently completed her final operational deployment.
The inactivation works will include removal of her reactor and will be undertaken at HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) facilities in Virginia with a target completion of March 2026.
Nimitz is the world's oldest aircraft carrier still in active service, having been commissioned 50 years ago in 1975. Early next year, she will sail for the US East Coast to arrive at NNS' facilities.
The lead ship of her class, Nimitz deployed around the world for many years and participated in combat action in regions such as the Middle East and Afghanistan.
While operating with the US Fifth fleet earlier this year, Nimitz supported freedom of navigation in the Arabian Sea, completing four Strait of Hormuz transits. Her carrier strike group provided power projection for US Central Command, setting conditions for regional stability and enabling the Iran-Israel ceasefire.
Additionally, the strike group supported US Africa Command operations by conducting strikes against ISIS targets in Somalia.
