The U.S. Navy has awarded General Atomics a $195.1 million contract modification which will see the company manufacture, assemble and test the advanced arresting gear for the third Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 80).
General Atomics will be responsible for the installation of the system and eventual repairs and drawing changes.
The navy considered cancelling the AAG program and reverting to a system similar to the ones used on the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers following years of delays and cost overruns.
However, following a review by an AAG resource requirements review board (R3B) in November 2016, the navy decided to stick with the AAG and in January this year awarded GA a contract for the delivery of the system to the second Ford-class carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79).
The advanced arresting gear’s test program marked the completion of the 350th trap of an F/A-18E Super Hornet in December, 2016.
Earlier this year, General Atomics also received a $532.6 million contract from the U.S. Navy to install the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) onboard the third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 80).
General Atomics is expected to complete work on the CVN 80 AAG contract by September 2027.
USS Enterprise (CVN 80) is the third Ford-class carrier built for the U.S. Navy by Huntington Ingalls Industries. The lead ship in the class, USS Gerald R. Ford , started sea trials in April this year and is expected to be delivered to the navy in September this year.