Navy: Potentially more than $100 million in savings through refurbished turbine kits

The Navy projects it will save more than $100 million over the next five years through a contract to refurbish propulsion gas turbine parts for surface combatants, according to a July 19 Navy statement.

On May 23, the Pentagon issued Carson City, NV-based Chromalloy Nevada a $27 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity services contract for the repair and refurbishment of LM2500 high pressure turbine hot section parts.

That turbine is used in the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships.

Previously, the Navy used new turbine blades and nozzles for the engine's "high pressure hot section kits" during an engine's rebuild after it was removed from service.

"The contract allows the Navy to supply commercial and government repair vendors with refurbished high-pressure turbine parts to create overhaul kits for two different configurations of LM2500 turbines," according to the statement.

"These engine configurations, the single-shank turbines and the paired-blade turbines, are responsible for the propulsion of all Navy destroyers and cruisers, as well as half of its Littoral Combat Ships, a total of 372 engines," the statement said.

The contract is expected to provide 150 kits and roughly $800,000 savings per kit.

Chromalloy Nevada will provide the refurbished kits and Naval Air Systems Command's Fleet Readiness Center Southwest will use the kits to assemble the engines during the overhaul process.