The US Navy has issued a sources sought notice seeking information from industry partners on shipyard capacity and capabilities for the SSN(X), the planned successor to the Virginia-class attack submarines.
N00135-27-SSNX invites responses from interested and capable prime shipyards by Thursday, October 15. It is an information gathering exercise and does not announce a shipyard selection or contract award.
The navy is seeking information on capacity for, "executing complex manufacturing, complete hull fabrication, modular outfitting, precision systems integration, reactor compartment installation, and post-delivery testing."
The notice also asks about yard availability, workforce skills and availability, and facilities and equipment, including advanced machine tools, floating docks, and cranes able to lift entire submarine compartments.
General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB), with facilities in Groton, Connecticut, and Quonset Point, Rhode Island, and Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia are the country's two shipyards for nuclear-powered vessel construction. Both currently build Virginia-class boats, with GDEB serving as the programme's primary contractor.
Design work on SSN(X) is continuing. Production is expected to begin around 2034, with entry into service in the early to mid-2040s.
The navy's FY2025 budget submission deferred procurement of the first boat from FY2035 to FY2040, citing limits on the service's overall budget.
The navy has said SSN(X) will offer greater speed, increased horizontal payload capacity, improved signatures, and higher operational availability. It has also said the submarine will be able to coordinate with a larger contingent of remote autonomous systems and sensors.
