OREANDA-NEWS. The U. S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a USD 83.8 million contract modification to continue development of the Common Missile Compartment for the Ohio replacement submarine and the United Kingdom's Successor ballistic-missile submarine. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

The contract provides funding for 17 tactical missile tubes: 12 for the U.K. Successor submarine; four for the Ohio Replacement submarine; and one for the Strategic Weapons System - Ashore test facility. A total of 241 missile tubes will be manufactured over the course of the program.

Initially awarded in December 2012, the five-year, USD 1.85 billion contract calls for Electric Boat to perform research and development work for the Navy's next-generation ballistic-missile submarine, which is scheduled to begin construction in 2021. The potential value of the overall contract is USD 2.3 billion.