Carrier Steam Turbine Contract Awarded
DRS Technologies, Inc. has been awarded a contract to continue to design advanced propulsion steam turbines for the U.S. Navy's next-generation CVN-78 class of aircraft carriers.
The $5.6 million award was received by DRS from Dresser-Rand Company in Wellsville, New York, a unit of Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited (NYSE:IR). The design effort for this contract will be performed by the company's DRS Power Technology unit in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The main propulsion turbines to be manufactured by Dresser-Rand will be delivered to Northrop Grumman Newport News, in Newport, Virginia, by 2008.
"DRS is a key supplier of power systems to the U.S. Navy shipbuilding industry and is fully qualified to design the propulsion steam turbines of the CVN-78, which are critical to the operation of this new class of aircraft carriers," said Steven T. Schorer, president of DRS's C4I Group. "The equipment designed under this and other contracts support our leadership role as a provider of electric drive and propulsion systems on this and other new platforms planned by the Navy."
The CVN-78, formerly CVN-21 and CVNX, is the newest class of aircraft carriers to be designed and constructed by Northrop Grumman Newport News. They will be powered by a new nuclear propulsion plant and consist of fewer operators, lower life-cycle costs and increased electrical power that will be available for technology insertion.
Under separately awarded contracts from Northrop Grumman Ship Systems and Newport News Shipbuilding, DRS is providing electrical plant equipment design work for the CVN-78 and the Navy's new next-generation DD(X) destroyer programs. DRS also is supplying key elements of the electric drive system for the DD(X) program, including propulsion motors, drive controls, power electronics equipment and other key elements of the electric drive engineering development models. The company's unique role is expected to lead to expansion onto other electric drive platforms supporting Navy growth initiatives, including new ships under the CG(X) cruiser and Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programs.
