US Navy awards carrier Truman RCOH contract

The US Navy has awarded HII a contract for the refueling and complex overhaul of aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman, shown here. (Michael Fabey)

The US Navy (USN) awarded HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division a USD5.1 billion contract for the refuelling and complex overhaul (RCOH) of nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) on 29 September, HII confirmed in a statement that day.

The RCOH represents nearly a third of all maintenance and modernisation in an aircraft carrier's service life, HII noted.

Truman' s RCOH will include refuelling the ship's reactors, as well as extensive modernisation work in thousands of compartments and tanks, as well as on most ship systems, HII said, adding that major upgrades are planned to be made in the propulsion plant and combat systems.

The work is expected to be completed by November 2031, the Pentagon confirmed in a statement on 29 September.

Fiscal year (FY) 2026 USN shipbuilding and conversion funds in the amount of about USD547.8 million are being obligated at time of award, the Pentagon said.

CVN 75 was christened in 1996 and delivered to the navy in 1998. Truman will be the eighth Nimitz-class carrier to undergo RCOH at NNS.

The USN Quality of Service Cross-Functional Team (QoS CFT) and Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) In-Service Aircraft Carrier Programme Office is looking to count on more commercial contract work to complete RCOHs), beginning with Truman (CVN 75), the USN confirmed in a statement on 15 June.

Traditionally, sailors assigned to a ship undergoing an RCOH could be assigned to perform supplementary, non-rate-specific duties such as painting, insulating, transportation services, and maintenance, the USN noted.