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The US Navy has awarded a US$197.4 million contract to the defence prime for the maintenance and modernisation of the USS Wasp.
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For the second time in four years, BAE Systems has secured a contract to drydock and perform maintenance and modernisation work aboard the USS Wasp (LHD 1), the US Navy’s leading amphibious assault ship.
The prime is set to commence working aboard the 843-foot-long USS Wasp in February 2021 from its Norfolk shipyard, performing hull, tank and mechanical work.
While valued at $197.4 million, the contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $237.7 million.
This latest contract follows BAE Systems’ modernisation work on board the USS Wasp from December 2016 to May 2017, over which it added modifications to support Joint Strike Fighter operations.
“BAE Systems is very familiar with USS Wasp, performing substantial upgrade work onboard before its forward deployment to Japan three years ago,” Mark Whitney, deputy general manager of BAE Systems Ship Repair and general manager of Norfolk Ship Repair, said.
“Our team of skilled tradespeople and subcontractors look forward to executing another long sustainment period on Wasp, to ensure the ship retains its sharp warfighting capability.”
In preparation for drydocking the Wasp, BAE Systems sent its largest floating drydock in Norfolk, referred to as ‘Titan’, to a Baltimore, Maryland, shipyard for five months of life cycle maintenance, with the drydock returning to Norfolk earlier this month.
The life cycle maintenance work performed on Titan drydock is designed to enable the yard to service the largest Navy ships in the port of Norfolk for another 20 to 25 years.
[Related: BAE Systems Australia launches new R&D facility]
Charbel Kadib
News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media
Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.
