OREANDA-NEWS.  The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a USD 121.8 million contract modification to buy long lead-time material for three Virginia-class submarines, SSN-793, SSN-794 and SSN-795. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

The contract provides funding for steam and electrical-plant components, main propulsion unit and ship-service turbine generator sets, as well as miscellaneous hull, mechanical and electrical-systems components to support construction of the submarines.

With the modification, the contract has a value of USD 716.5 million. It was awarded initially in April 2012.

Recognized as a model defense-acquisition program for its technical excellence and schedule performance, the Virginia-class submarine program provides the Navy with the capabilities required to dominate both the open ocean and the littorals. In partnership with the Navy, Electric Boat is successfully pursuing its goal to reduce ship costs without decreasing capabilities through overall efficiency improvements, decreased ship-construction labors costs and shortened ship-construction cycle times.