Zumwalt contracts possible by end of month

[unhappycamper]

Zumwalt contracts possible by end of month
By Chris Cavas - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jan 18, 2008 13:36:12 EST

The U.S. Navy and its two prime shipbuilders could reach an agreement “by the end of the month” on construction contracts for the first two DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers, a top Navy official said Jan. 17.

“We’ve made a lot of progress over the last month,” Rear Adm. Chuck Goddard, the Navy’s program executive officer for ships, said of negotiations with General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman. “We are very, very close.”

Negotiations now are focused on costs, production hours and estimates of learning curves, Goddard said, along with “standard things” such as terms and conditions, share lines and fees.

Each of the shipyards will build one of the ships, which were funded in 2007 and estimated by the Navy to cost about $3.3 billion each. The Navy plans to build a total of seven ships in the class.


Article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/defense_zumwalt_0118/