Friday, September 12, 2008

Next Generation Aircraft Carrier Contracted


Northrop Grumman Wins $5.1 Billion Navy Contract
By DEBORAH CROWE
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff


Northrop Grumman Corp. has received good news in the wake of the Pentagon’s decision to delay a lucrative Air Force tanker contract.
-
The U.S. Navy said it awarded the Los Angeles defense contractor a $5.1 billion contract to build its first next-generation aircraft carrier.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, named after the late president, will be the first of a new class of aircraft carrier in more than 40 years, and replace nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carriers that have been in service since the early 1970s. The new carrier is expected to launch in 2015.

The Navy said Ford-class carriers eventually will replace 11 carriers currently in service. Final cost estimate for the first new carrier is expected to be about $8.3 billion, which includes non-recurring costs associated with design and start-up.