A business unit of BAE Systems will drydock, maintain and modernize the USS Wasp amphibious assault ship for the U.S. Navy under a potential $237.7M contract.
The company said Tuesday its Norfolk Ship Repair business in Virginia will commence work on the vessel’s mechanical, tank and hull systems in February next year.
The award has a $197.4M base value and options that would unlock the contract’s maximum potential value if completely exercised.
BAE has performed life cycle maintenance on its Titan floating drydock to prepare for the upcoming work on the USS Wasp. Titan is designed to carry 52.5K long tons of weight, and the company expects the drydock to support ship work for up to 25 more years.
“BAE Systems is very familiar with USS Wasp, performing substantial upgrade work onboard before its forward deployment to Japan three years ago,” said Mark Whitney, deputy general manager of BAE’s ship repair unit and GM of Norfolk Ship Repair.
The company modified USS Wasp between late 2016 and mid-2017 for the ship to better accommodate the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
