Refuelling a carrier and rebuilding it whole — $2.6 billion not to build but to extend
A Navy contract with Huntington Ingalls carrying an obligated value of about $2.574 billion. The description reads CVN 71 REFUELING COMPLEX OVERHAUL ACCOMPLISHMENT, covering the mid-life overhaul of a nuclear aircraft carrier including reactor refuelling — work that extends an existing ship rather than building a new one.
Contract key facts
- RecipientHuntington Ingalls
- Contract value$2,574,356,598 (≈$2.57B)
- BranchNavy
- Awarding agencyDepartment of Defense
- Awarding sub-agencyDepartment of the Navy
- Award typeDEFINITIVE CONTRACT
- Period of performance2009-08-26 〜 2013-09-25
- Contract ID (PIID)N0002409C2107
Contract scope (original)
CVN 71 REFUELING COMPLEX OVERHAUL ACCOMPLISHMENT.
Key points
- Obligated value is about $2.574 billion; the recipient is Huntington Ingalls, the branch is the Navy, and the period runs August 2009 to September 2013.
- The description reads CVN 71 REFUELING COMPLEX OVERHAUL, the mid-life overhaul of a nuclear carrier including reactor refuelling.
- The work opens the hull to renew equipment and piping and install new systems, takes years, and costs close to a new ship.
- The median duration across the 207 records this site holds as of 2026-09-02 is 10.7 years, so 4.1 is on the short side.
- Huntington Ingalls appears under two spellings totalling 20 records — shipbuilding and overhaul tend to have fixed recipients.
1Work on the scale of building
A nuclear aircraft carrier needs its reactor fuel replaced after roughly two decades in service. That work does not stop at swapping fuel. The hull is opened, equipment is removed, aged piping and cabling are renewed, new systems are installed, and the ship is closed again. It takes years, and the cost approaches that of a new ship. Refueling Complex Overhaul, the phrase in the description, names that whole undertaking.
2New construction and life extension
- 1ConstructionBuilding a ship new. Contracts often run past ten years
- 2After roughly two decades in serviceThe reactor fuel approaches exhaustion
- 3Refueling complex overhaulReplace fuel, open the hull to renew equipment and piping, install new systems
- 4Service afterwardThe ship continues in use for roughly two more decades
For one carrier to serve half a century, this work happens once along the way. Deciding to build a new ship and deciding to extend an existing one are separate budget judgments, but toward the goal of fielding a required number of ships they substitute for each other.
3A contract with a short period
The period runs August 2009 to September 2013, about 4.1 years. The median duration across the 207 defense contracts this site holds as of 2026-09-02 is 10.7 years, placing this on the short side. Overhaul work has a settled sequence and a foreseeable path from start to finish, which reads in that length. Unlike construction or long sustainment contracts, it has a definite beginning and end.
4A field with few suppliers
Only a limited number of United States yards can overhaul a nuclear carrier. Among the records this site holds, Huntington Ingalls appears under two spellings — HUNTINGTON INGALLS INC and HUNTINGTON INGALLS INCORPORATED — totalling 20 records. Shipbuilding and overhaul are hard to enter on both facilities and skills, so recipients tend to be fixed.
Total outlays on the record are $0, a state shared by 115 of the 207 records (56 percent) at that date.
Why it matters
Fielding a required number of platforms is not only a matter of new construction; extending existing ones serves the same end. Budget debate treats them separately, but for capability they substitute.
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Sources (primary)
This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.
- USAspending (award details)
- Contract ID (PIID)：N0002409C2107