General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems today announced that it has been awarded a contract from General Dynamics Electric Boat to fabricate and deliver three shipsets of Virginia Payload Tubes (VPT) to be used on Block VI Virginia-class submarines.
Each shipset includes two payload tubes. General Atomics will complete delivery by the end of 2030.
“This contract follows a 2023 contract award for a single VPT shipset that qualified [General Atomics] as a viable supplier with proven manufacturing capability to fabricate and deliver complex, safety-critical components for use on Navy submarines,” stated Scott Forney, president of General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems.
“As the submarine industrial base continues to expand amid supply chain and workforce retention challenges, we look forward to providing the critical capacity necessary to support multi-year procurement and sustainment programs such as this,” stated Rolf Ziesing, vice president of General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Maritime Programs. “Under multiple contract awards and over several decades, we’ve been recognized for our expertise in developing and delivering components and systems for the Navy’s surface warships, including the first of kind Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch and Advanced Arresting Gear systems for Ford-class carriers. We have undertaken continuous expansion of our manufacturing capabilities and footprint, while developing a highly skilled workforce at our Tupelo and Iuka, Mississippi manufacturing facilities. GA-EMS is well positioned to be a valued, stable resource for the development and production of complex components like the VPTs in support of the Navy’s subsurface and surface shipbuilding enterprise.”
