L3Harris Technologies is set to supply battery monitoring systems for two of the US Navy’s top priority acquisitions: the Columbia-class and Virginia-class submarines.
L3Harris Technologies is set to supply battery monitoring systems for two of the US Navy’s top priority acquisitions: the Columbia-class and Virginia-class submarines.
As the systems provide real-time battery health assessments, they “directly impact operational capability and crew safety,” according to Nino DiCosmo, L3Harris President of Maritime, Space & Mission Systems.
It is part of a contract that L3Harris secured from General Dynamics Electric Boat, the prime contractor for the Columbia-class, and which shares a partnership with Huntington Ingalls Industries - Newport News Shipbuilding to build the Virginia-class submarines.
The contract’s value and delivery timeline were not disclosed.
US Navy Submarines
The navy ordered a fleet of 12 Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines to replace the aging Ohio-class submarines by the 2030s and maintain the sea-based leg of the US nuclear triad.
After facing program delays, the service confirmed that the lead submarine was on track for delivery by 2028 and slated to enter full-rate production by 2031.
Meanwhile, the Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines are designed for multi-mission operations in both deep-ocean and littoral environments.
There are already more than 25 Virginia-class submarines in active service out of about 43 that the navy ordered to handle anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, land attack, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and special operations support missions.
The US Navy’s future Columbia-class submarine. Photo: General Dynamics