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The Navy awarded BAE Systems a $295 million contract on Dec. 9 to conduct modernization and repair work on the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) in fiscal year 2023.
The contract includes options that, if exercised, would raise the total firm-fixed-price contract action value to over $340 million.
BAE said under this docking selected restricted availability (DSRA) contract, its Norfolk Ship Repair facility in Virginia will perform more than 20 months of maintenance and modernization work on LHD-3 starting in April 2023. The company said the ship will be drydocked for almost a year and the shipyard will conduct “extensive hull, tank, and mechanical work, rehabilitate all crew and embarked Marine living compartments onboard, and inspect the ship’s boilers.”
The contract notice said the work is expected to be finished by November 2024 while BAE said it expects to complete work on the Kearsarge by January 2025. $289 million of the Navy funding is set to expire at the end of fiscal year 2023.
“The extended sustainment period onboard the USS Kearsarge provides a great environment to apply BAE Systems’ substantial experience with ships of the same class and considerable production skills, and supports job stability across our shipyard and supply base. Through our maintenance and modernization efforts, the Kearsarge will be ready to deploy for many years to come,” Mike Bruneau, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, said in a statement.
BAE noted it has already started preparing for the LHD-3 drydocking by hiring both employees and temporary workers.
The Navy said the contract was competitively procured with two offers received, but it did not disclose the losing offeror.
In 2020, BAE’s Norfolk Ship Repair first won a DSRA contract worth up to $238 million for modernization and maintenance work on the USS Wasp (LHD-1) (Defense Daily, Nov. 25, 2020).
Then, earlier this year, BAE Systems won a similar contract worth up to $148 million to perform maintenance and modernization on the USS Essex (LHD-2) at its San Diego Ship Repair facility (Defense Daily, March 11).
