Navy awards $2.8B contract to HII for CVN-73 midlife refueling

The Navy awarded a $2.8 billion contract to Huntington Ingalls Industries for the refueling and complex overhaul of the aircraft carrier George Washington (CVN-73).

"We've spent the better part of three years planning and preparing for this availability," Chris Miner, Newport News' vice president for in-service aircraft carrier programs, said in a Sept. 1 statement. "We are leveraging lessons learned from the USS Abraham Lincoln RCOH, implementing digital tools to increase efficiency, and working with our Navy partners, our suppliers and numerous contractors to recapitalize this ship and deliver her back to the Navy for another 25 years of service."

The aircraft carrier arrived at Newport News on Aug. 4 under a planning contract. 

The RCOH represents 35 percent of all maintenance and modernization in an aircraft carrier's 50-year service life. 

Additionally, major upgrades will be made to the flight deck, catapults, combat systems and the island. Work will begin immediately and continue through August 2021.