Overview
For more than 30 years, BAE Systems has been a critical and reliable supplier to the U.S. Navy’s undersea fleet. We are experts on the manufacturing of highly complex and heavy submarine structures that are a crucial piece of submarine construction. Our workforce is equipped with the manufacturing capabilities and skillsets required to deliver for the Navy’s submarine force. We’ve also invested heavily in the people, processes, and tools required to successfully deliver these payload tubes to help ensure the Navy’s undersea fleet remains a dominant global force in the years to come.
As the U.S. Navy looks to our nation’s maritime industrial base to meet its shipbuilding requirements, BAE Systems stands ready with capability and capacity today to take on additional work to meet the need – and is investing in our facilities to further grow our ability to support sailors.
Our products and services
- Virginia-class submarine propulsor
- Virginia-class submarine missile tubes
- Heavy, fabricated structures for Virginia-class submarines
- Heavy, fabricated structures for Columbia-class submarines
Our capabilities
- Fabrication
- Complex welding
- Medium/heavy machining
- Assembly
- Heavy Lift
- Testing
- Finishing
- Blasting
- Bargeable access
- Weld schools
- Inspectors
- Painters
Our People
- NAVSEA SUBSAFE-certified welders
- NAVSEA Certified Painters
- NAVSEA Certified NDT Level 2 and 3 Inspectors
- Decades of expertise building heavy, complicated structures
- Deep technical knowledge of submarine programs
- Access to international network of subs manufacturing support and suppliers across the world.
Our investments
- Over 200,000 square feet of dedicated manufacturing space for subs
- Facility and capacity expansion
- Advanced manufacturing
- Upskilling workforce
- 25,000-ton shiplift capability
Our History
Propulsor Systems
Since 1989, BAE Systems has manufactured propulsors that contribute to the silent capability and effectiveness of the U.S. Navy’s submarine force. Our work initially began with the Seawolf-class submarine and continues today with our work on the Virginia-class submarine. Propulsors improve the propellers’ efficiency and reduce its sonar signature. As of 2023, BAE Systems has provided propulsors for more than 30 submarines.
Virginia Payload Module tubes
Since 2018, BAE Systems has supported the vertical strike capabilities of the Block V Virginia-class submarine through the Virginia Payload Module. These payload tubes require complex processes and skilled employees to manufacture.
Each large-diameter VPM payload tube can store and launch up to seven Tomahawk and future guided cruise missiles. The VPM is critical to the Virginia class because it offers not only additional strike capacity, but the flexibility to integrate future payload types, as threats evolve.
Submarine structure fabrication
Our Jacksonville Ship Repair site fabricates submarine structures for a major shipbuilder. Currently, this shipyard is building deck modules for Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarines and plans to grow its support to the U.S. Navy and the shipbuilder in the future. The shipyard is also investing in upskilling the workforce here to tackle more submarine component manufacturing.