The Navy recently issued a solicitation starting a competition to contract for the detail design and construction (DD&C) of the AS(X) submarine recapitalization program.
The notice said the solicitation will cover DD&C for up to two of the new submarine tenders alongside engineering and industrial support, crew familiarization, training equipment and provisioned item orders.
The solicitation was originally released on July 31 and updated on Aug. 17.
Submarine tenders help repair submarines with a combined civil serve mariner and uniformed Navy crew.
The Navy also noted AS(X) is specifically being designed to support Virginia-class attack submarines (SSNs), Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and future submarine classes. However, it will also be able to support the Los Angeles-class SSNs and Ohio-class SSBNs until they retire.
The notice said AS(X) will specifically “conduct steady state and wartime sustained, forward-based tending, resupply, and I-level repair operations on deployed submarines while at anchor or moored at a pier.”
“In steady state, the AS(X) provides pier-side support in a forward deployed submarine homeport, providing sustained repair, supply, weapons handling/rearming, and tending operations for home ported or visiting submarines and ships, and fly-away emergent voyage repair services for other deployed submarines and ships,” it continued.
The AS(X) vessels will replace the current two older submarine tenders, the USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) and USS Frank Cable (AS-40). AS-39 has been in operation since 1979 while AS-40 has been active since 1980.
Offers for the AS(X) program are due by Dec. 8.
The Navy’s FY 2024 budget request seeks $1.7 billion for the first new vessel, dubbed AS-1, and plans to procure a second one in FY ‘26 for $1.1 billion.
According to the budget documents, the Navy expects to award the DD&C contract for the first vessel in May 2024 with delivery planned for June 2031. The Navy then plans to award the contract for AS-2 in May 2026 and have it delivered in September 2032.
The FY ‘24 House version of the defense authorization bill initially cut $1.485 billion from the AS(X) request, with a committee aide saying only $248 million was approved because of both the debt ceiling agreement and how the first AS(X) would not use all the requested funds in the first year (Defense Daily, June 14).
The committee ultimately approved an amendment that authorized the Navy to have an incrementally funded contract for advance procurement and construction of the submarine tender, but did not approve the total value of the vessel.
However, the House defense appropriations bill and Senate authorization bills both funded AS(X) as requested (Defense Daily, June 23).