UK’s Dreadnought-class submarines will feature Lockheed’s navigation subsystems

American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology company Lockheed Martin has received a contract to develop navigation subsystems for Royal Navy’s Dreadnought-class submarines.

As informed, the contract also includes the development of navigation subsystems for the US Navy’s Columbia-class submarines.

According to the notice contract, the company is expected to provide “Strategic Weapon System Trident Fleet Support, Trident II SSP Shipboard Integration (SSI) Increment 8, SSI Increment 16, Columbia-class and U.K. Dreadnought-class navigation subsystem development efforts.“

Work will be performed in New York, California, Florida, and Massachusetts. The expected completion date is 30 November 2023.

The value of the contract is $29.8 million.

The lead Dreadnought-class submarine, HMS Dreadnought, has recently received all 12 missile tubes. The equipment was delivered to the BAE Systems’ Barrow shipyard. Work on this 17,200-tonne submarine began in 2016.

The Royal Navy Submarine Service operates a fleet of six submarines of the Trafalgar and Astute classes and four ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) of the Vanguard class.

As the current Vanguard-class submarines reach the end of their lifecycle, they will be replaced by a new class of nuclear submarines: the Dreadnought class.

Meanwhile, US company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division has secured a contract for the construction of the first two Columbia-class submarine modules. The construction of the first in a new generation of US Navy ballistic missile submarines kicked off in 2019.

Construction of the 12-boat Columbia class will take place in Virginia, Rhode Island and Connecticut, with Electric Boat assembling and delivering all of the submarines. The lead boat is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2027.