The American shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Inc. is being awarded a $40 million modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-2105 for additional supplemental work for the refueling complex overhaul of USS George Washington (CVN 73).

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, work includes accomplishment of the overhaul, modernization, repair, maintenance and refueling. This modification provides additional funds required to support mandatory and essential work performed by Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News.

All work is approved by the government and will ensure that the ship is returned to the fleet fully mission capable at redelivery.

Huntington Ingalls Inc. is the original building yard contractor for all ships of the CVN 68 class, the reactor planning yard, the lead design refueling yard and the only private shipyard capable of refueling and overhauling nuclear powered aircraft carriers. Therefore, it is the only source with the knowledge, experience and facilities required to accomplish this effort in support of the refueling of CVN 73 without an unacceptable disruption of Navy-wide overhaul and repair schedule.

For more than 75 years, the American shipbuilders at Newport News have designed and built more than 30 aircraft carriers, including the world’s first nuclear-powered carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN 65), and all 10 of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carriers.

Today, the company’s shipbuilders are designing and building the next generation of aircraft carriers—the Gerald R. Ford class. The first-in-class, Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), was delivered to the U.S. Navy in May 2017. The aircraft carrier features advanced capabilities that will increase the power of our military’s fleet with reduced manning. Construction of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) began in February 2011, and advance fabrication of the new Enterprise (CVN 80) is underway.