Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, was awarded a contract to ensure US attack submarines (SSNs) and ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) remain available into the 2030s by providing critical life-extension services.
Under a Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) contract worth around $99 million, FMD will provide repair, parts and labor through 2030 for emergency diesel generator (EDG) overhauls on six nuclear submarines.
The contract work is part of a mitigation strategy developed by the US Navy to extend the service life of Ohio- and Los Angeles-class submarines by up to 14 years by working with OEMs to overhaul critical systems.
According to FMD, the current contract supports completion of multiple EDG overhauls per year through 2030. The company plans to employ its robotic welding platform for improved precision and speed.
FMD noted that robotic welding has proven to reduce manual welding times by up to two-thirds. To further accelerate timelines, the firm is applying the Pit Stop methodology to shrink depot maintenance periods from months to weeks.
“This contract is part of the ongoing investment in undersea power projection that we have seen not only from the United States and our friends in Europe, Australia and Canada, but also from Russia and China, who are actively growing and modernizing their submarine fleets,” said Keith Haasl, FMD President of Services and Technology.
“Because the timely delivery of critical components dictates fleet availability, we are moving quickly to scale our capabilities. Our work with the Navy actively demonstrates principles of rapid submarine maintenance and overhaul that we can share with allies, so we can ensure operationally ready submarines faster.”
Specifically, FMD will use robotics, automation and its Pit Stop maintenance methodology to reduce depot-level maintenance times and improve parts availability. The contract supports efforts to extend the service lives of existing submarines amid concerns about a potential submarine fleet shortfall after 2029, driven by scheduled retirements and delays in the construction of Columbia- and Virginia-class submarines.
So far, the company has completed EDG overhauls on two Ohio-class and one Los Angeles-class submarine under a previous NAVSEA contract.