Trump turns to emerging tech giant in multi-billion bid to ramp up US submarine production
The Trump administration is turning to a defense technology giant in a $6.6 billion effort to speed production of submarines as the U.S.struggles to keep pace with China's vast shipbuilding capacity.The ramp-up in production brings a Silicon Valley-style manufacturer into one of the Pentagon's most troubled industrial bases as they fall behind expected pace of two Virginia-class attack submarines per year.Anduril will build a more than 2-million-square-foot shipyard at Sparrows Point shipyard just outside of Baltimore to manufacture critical submarine components, eventually scaling up to large sections of the vessels.
A senior administration official said the facility could add roughly 9 million labor hours a year, equivalent to about a 15% increase in submarine production capacity.President Donald Trump will visit the shipyard on Tuesday afternoon to formally announce the new initiative in Baltimore alongside Anduril leadership.NAVY SECRETARY WARNS SHIPYARDS MUST ‘ACT LIKE WE’RE AT WAR’ AS CHINA’S AI-POWERED FLEET RACES AHEADThe Trump administration is turning to defense technology giant Anduril in a $6.6 billion effort to speed production of Virginia-class attack submarines, bringing a Silicon Valley-style manufacturer into one of the Pentagon's most troubled industrial bases.(Colin Murty via Reuters)The investment takes aim at a problem the Navy has struggled for years to solve: shipyards are delivering roughly 1.3 Virginia-class submarines a year, well short of the Navy's goal of two, even as demand for the nuclear-powered attack boats grows.
The Navy currently projects reaching the two-per-year rate around 2032.It currently has 26 Virginia-class submarines and expects to add two more in the spring, according to a senior administration official.andFor the submarine project, Anduril plans to invest $3.7 billion of its own capital to build the facility, workforce and manufacturing capacity.
The Navy could spend up to another $2.9 billion purchasing the ...