The company was chosen by General Dynamics Electric Boat and the US Navy to build electric propulsion system products

Leonardo DRS has been awarded contracts valued at over €2.7 ($3) billion to provide integrated electric propulsion system products for the US Navy’s Columbia-class submarines. The company was chosen by General Dynamics Electric Boat and the US Navy to design and manufacture the components of the primary propulsion system of the next-generation ballistic missile submarine fleet. These include a permanent magnet main propulsion electric motor, the propulsion motor drives, switchgear, and the propulsion controls – the heart of the Columbia Electric Drive Propulsion System. All prototype components of this system completed full power endurance and other testing at the Navy’s land-based test facility.

The Columbia-class submarine is a new class of ballistic missile submarines and is a top priority for the US Navy. They are designed to replace the fleet of Ohio-class submarines. At 560 feet long with a displacement of nearly 21,000 tons, the Columbia-class submarines will be the largest ever built by the United States.

“This award highlights Leonardo DRS as an agile and trusted partner for the US Navy and General Dynamics Electric Boat, having now been awarded contracts to supply our state-of-the-art electric propulsion components through shipset 12 for the Columbia-class program,” said Leonardo DRS CEO Bill Lynn. “We are proud to be a part of this team and be the provider of these critical components for the most advanced ballistic missile submarine in our Navy’s history.”

“DRS is committed to our partnership with Electric Boat and the US Navy,” added Jon Miller, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Leonardo DRS Naval Power Systems. “Their strategic mission is our purpose. Together, we develop innovative systems for critical next-generation national security platforms like the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine.”

This contract solidifies DRS’s position for the Columbia-class program. The integrated electric propulsion components will be manufactured in the DRS facilities in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, Danbury, Connecticut, and High Ridge, Missouri.

In November last year, the company completed sea trials of the first Ulsan-Class Future Frigate experimental Batch-3 (FFX-III) for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROK Navy equipped with its hybrid electric drive propulsion system.