Monday, October 14, 2024
Monday, October 14, 2024
The Navy is initiating a contract competition for the design and construction of a new class of submarine tenders intended to support Virginia-class, Columbia-class and future-generation vessels, according to a recent solicitation notice.
The notice, which indicates the Navy’s intent to procure two of the new AS(X) tenders, follows an April industry day that provided prospective builders with draft requirements for the vessels. The solicitation excludes detailed information on program requirements, citing Controlled Unclassified Information status.
“AS(X) will conduct steady state and wartime sustained, forward-based tending, resupply and I-level repair operations on deployed submarines while at anchor or moored at a pier,” the notice states.
“In steady state, the AS(X) provides pier-side support in a forward deployed submarine homeport, providing sustained repair, supply, weapons handling/rearming, and tending operations for home ported or visiting submarines and ships, and fly-away emergent voyage repair services for other deployed submarines and ships,” it continues.
The Navy’s fiscal year 2024 budget request includes $1.7 billion for the first tender in this new-start program and anticipates the procurement of a second vessel in FY-26 for $1.1 billion, resulting in a total of two vessels across the five-year future years defense program.
The service plans to award a contract for the first vessel in May 2024, targeting delivery in June 2031, budget justification books indicate. A contract award for the second vessel is planned for May 2026 with delivery in September 2032.
Lawmakers have supported this plan with their FY-24 defense authorization and appropriations legislation, which awaits further action and final passage when Congress reconvenes in September.
Although the House Armed Services Committee initially excluded the submarine tender from its defense policy bill, the committee later approved an amendment adding FY-24 advance procurement authority for AS(X) to the legislation.
Presently, the Navy has two active tenders -- Emory S. Land (AS-39) and Frank Cable (AS-40) -- which are based in Guam and perform maintenance in the Pacific. The new AS(X) tenders will eventually replace these aging vessels, which have each been in service for more than 40 years.