Article Posted on : - May 08, 2013

Aircraft Carrier John F Kennedy (CVN 79). Photo: Huntington Ingalls

NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINA (BNS): Huntington Ingalls Industries has received an increase of $60.8 million to a previously awarded construction preparation contract for purchase of materials in support of aircraft carrier John F Kennedy (CVN 79) construction.

The funds awarded to the Company's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division will be used to purchase long-lead-time materials such as air conditioning systems, controllers and pumps.

NNS has performed work on CVN 79 under a construction preparation contract that allows for engineering, planning, long-lead-time material procurement and initial manufacturing to begin before the full construction contract is awarded to improve efficiency. The construction contract is anticipated later this year.

John F Kennedy (CVN 79) will continue the Ford-class legacy of highly capable U S Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ship platforms.

Enhancements incorporated into the Ford-class design include flight deck changes, improved weapons handling systems and a redesigned island. It will also include new nuclear power plants, increased electrical power generation capacity, allowance for future technologies and reduced workload for the sailors, translating to a smaller crew size and reduced operating costs for the Navy.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) designs, builds and maintains nuclear and non-nuclear ships for the US Navy and Coast Guard and provides after-market services for military ships around the globe.