Fairbanks Morse Defense Wins $100m Contract to Ensure Attack, Missile Submarine Availability
Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, was awarded a $99.09 million contract to ensure the availability of U.S. attack submarines (SSNs) and ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) into the 2030s by enacting critical life extension services. Under a Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) contract, FMD will provide repair, parts and labor through 2030 for Emergency Diesel Generator (EDG) overhauls on six nuclear submarines.
This follow-on, sole-source award comes as the U.S. Navy seeks to secure its global sea-based deterrent against near-peer competitors, Russia and China. The contract work is part of a mitigation strategy developed by the Navy to extend the service life of Ohio- and Los Angeles-class submarines by up to 14 years by working with OEMs to overhaul critical systems.
The current contract supports completion of multiple EDG overhauls per year through 2030. FMD will employ its robotic welding platform for improved precision and speed. Robotic welding has proven to reduce manual welding times by up to two-thirds. To further accelerate timelines, FMD is applying the Pit Stop methodology to shrink depot maintenance periods from months to weeks. Inspired by NASCAR and Formula One, and co-developed with the U.S. Navy, Pit Stop eliminates “open and inspect” bottlenecks by pre-staging OEM parts needed for routine overhauls, driving a continuous cycle of component refurbishment.
FMD’s use of robotics, automation and the Pit Stop methodology for critical systems offers a model for U.S. and allied navies to apply broadly to reduce depot-level maintenance delays and improve parts availability. Fulfillment of the contract effectively addresses the geopolitical risk of a post-2029 submarine deficit resulting from scheduled decommissionings and delays in new construction of Columbia-and Virginia-class vessels.
FMD has successfully completed EDG overhauls on two Ohio-class and one Los Angeles-class submarine under a previous NAVSEA contract.
