L3Harris Selected for US Navy Next-Generation Submarine Tender Design Study
Brett Davis is a lifelong journalist and writer with extensive experience writing about defense issues and technology. He studied journalism and photography at the University of North Alabama in his hometown of Florence and then earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. He worked for a dozen years as Washington Correspondent for the Huntsville Times newspaper, then became editor of Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, published at the time by McGraw-Hill. He served as content manager for Backfence.com, a pioneering local journalism website, was editor of Unmanned Systems magazine at the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International and editor in chief of Inside Unmanned Systems magazine for Autonomous Media. He previously served as Deputy Editor of Seapower magazine. He’s also a fiction writer: His latest, The Moon Above, is the story of a Tuskegee Airman published by Scarsdale Publishing.
HERNDON, Va. — L3Harris Technologies is one of three companies selected to provide preliminary designs for the next generation submarine tender, a support vessel that will provide expeditionary maintenance and repairs for U.S. Navy submarines, the company said May 17.
L3Harris will support the development of the AS(X) ship specifications, interface specifications, ship cost estimates and construction schedules under the base AS(X) Concept Refinement and Preliminary Design contract. The nine-month concept refinement and preliminary design study includes options for an additional nine-month concept refinement and preliminary design update and an overarching 36-month period for special studies.
“We are excited to participate in the design study for the AS(X) submarine tender,” said Rosemary Chapdelaine, president of Maritime at L3Harris. “In the coming months, we will work closely with our customer and industry partners to bring innovative solutions to advance the technology that will inform and define the future capabilities on this new class of ships.”
The AS(X) will be capable of providing support and maintenance for up to four submarines, replacing the U.S. Navy’s two aging tenders, the USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) and USS Frank Cable (AS 40), commissioned in 1979. The current tenders provide intermediate-level maintenance and repairs, hotel services and logistics support at sea to nuclear-powered guided missile and attack submarines deployed in the 5th and 7th fleets areas of responsibility.
L3Harris’ Herndon, Virgina, facility will perform the program management and engineering design tasks and is partnered with Philly Shipyard Inc. and VARD Inc. for design development.