BAE Systems has been awarded a contract worth USD 70 million by General Dynamics Electric Boat to manufacture missile tubes for the Virginia Payload Module (VPM) intended for Block VI Virginia-class submarines.
“These missile tubes deliver critical firepower to the Virginia-class submarine fleet, a cornerstone to U.S. national security,” said Charles Lewis, director of Submarine Programs for Platforms & Services at BAE Systems.
“Continuing to manufacture VPMs at our Louisville, Kentucky, facility maintains our strong support to the industrial base, while also ensuring Sailors receive the capability they need to protect our country.”
VPM tubes enhance the Virginia-class submarine’s offensive capabilities and payload capacity by enabling the launch of up to seven BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) or future missile variants. These intricate components are manufactured at BAE’s Louisville facility.
Additionally, this facility produces the propulsor for the Virginia-class submarine and a robust propulsor structure for the Columbia-class submarine. BAE Systems stated that it possesses the manufacturing capabilities and capacity to undertake further projects in constructing submarine structures, thereby providing additional support to the US Navy.
