Navy Ships: Concurrency within the SSN-21 Program

Abstract

This report provides information on the extent to which development and production are concurrent in the Seawolf nuclear attack submarine program, the status of the AN/BSY-2 combat system and other SSN-21 subsystems, and our opinion on whether procurement of the SSN-21 should be approved in FY-91. In addition to the overall concurrency of the SSN-21 design and construction program, we reviewed 10 of its subsystems and found that 6 subsystems involve concurrency. Four of these subsystems, including the AN/BSY-2, are critical to the ship's achieving full performance. A 1- or 2- year delay in contracting for the follow-on SSN-21, currently scheduled for November 1990, would allow for a longer period to develop the ship's and subsystems' designs. GAO concludes that the changing world events, the need to respond to the U.S. budget deficit, and the benefits of a less concurrent program warrant a 1-year delay in the award of the next SSN-21 production contract. Keywords: Nuclear powered submarines; Shipbuilding scheduling; Attack submarines; Contract administration.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 28, 1990
Accession Number
ADA227712

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Attack Submarines
  • Boats
  • Contract Administration
  • Contracts
  • Control Systems
  • Department Of Defense
  • National Security
  • Navy
  • Nuclear Powered Submarines
  • Procurement
  • Shipbuilding
  • Ships
  • Shipyards
  • Submarines
  • System Software
  • United States
  • Uss Seawolf

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Government Contracting/Procurement.
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.