Navy Awards $11.8 Billion to Build 14 Nuclear Submarines

General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls received incentive contract modifications to build five Columbia-class and nine Virginia-class submarines, with work running through July 2038.

First Published: July 29, 2026, 1:25 PM ET

GROTON, CONNECTICUT — The U.S. Navy awarded more than $11.8 billion to two shipbuilders to construct 14 nuclear submarines, its largest naval contract of 2026, as announced on war.gov.

General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., the Groton, Connecticut, subsidiary that has built submarines for the Navy for more than 100 years, and Huntington Ingalls Inc.‘s Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia received incentive contract modifications. The award covers five Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, nine Virginia-class attack submarines and a tenth shipset of material. It obligates $6.4 billion at signing and directs additional money toward shipbuilder productivity investments. The modifications rank as the largest Navy contract recorded in 2026, dwarfing the year’s smallest award of $138 million.

“For over 125 years, Electric Boat has continued our legacy of firsts, designing, constructing and maintaining the most capable submarines to ensure our nation’s defense,” the company said, describing the Columbia class as the nation’s top strategic defense priority according to gdeb.com.

The stakes stretch far beyond two shipyards. The Columbia class replaces the aging Ohio-class fleet that carries the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad. The Virginia-class boats form the backbone of the attack submarine force. Groton and Newport News share the workload, and suppliers across nine states benefit, from Quonset Point, Rhode Island, to Sunnyvale, California, and Tucson, Arizona. The work runs through July 2038.

The money splits across five appropriations. Fiscal 2026 shipbuilding and conversion Navy funding covers 54%, fiscal 2025 shipbuilding funds add 32%, and maritime industrial base funds contribute 11%. National sea-based deterrence funds and prior-year shipbuilding money round out the balance. None of the obligated funds expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

For the average reader, the award signals sustained federal spending on a workforce that Electric Boat says numbers roughly 23,000 employees, with thousands more at Newport News and across the supply chain. Defense shipbuilding jobs anchor local economies in coastal states and feed steady demand for steel, electronics and skilled trades.

Large submarine awards have happened before, though few at this scale. The Navy handed Electric Boat a $17.6 billion contract in 2014 for 10 Virginia-class boats, then called the largest contract the Navy had ever given, and followed with a $22.2 billion Block V award in 2019 according to gdeb.com. The company received $12.4 billion in modifications in 2025 to accelerate the Columbia and Virginia programs, according to gdeb.com.

Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity and manages the next phase of oversight. The Navy has not announced a date for the next milestone decision tied to these modifications, though construction is scheduled to run through July 2038.

Electric Boat’s reach into strategic naval contracts is as old as the submarine force itself. Isaac Rice founded the company in 1899, and its Holland VI became USS Holland when the Navy commissioned it on April 11, 1900, the first submarine officially commissioned, according to gdeb.com. Electric Boat later designed and built USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, launched in 1954. Since 1974, only Electric Boat and Newport News have built submarines for the U.S. Navy, a duopoly that has shaped every undersea program the service fields today.

This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut (N00024-12-C-2115, N00024-17-C-2100, N00024-17-C-2117), in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $6,441,442,332. It is also the 2nd Department of Defense contract awarded in Connecticut during 2026. Because this is the first award to General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut (N00024-12-C-2115, N00024-17-C-2100, N00024-17-C-2117) recorded in the database, it establishes the company’s initial benchmark within the Navy portfolio. Specifically, it is the largest Navy contract awarded in 2026, at $6,441,442,332, while the year-to-date minimum stands at $138,004,329. Overall, this award was announced among 5 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 29, 2026. This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to and Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia (N00024-17-C-2100, N00024-15-C-2114, N00024-16-C-2116), in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $6,441,442,332. Because this is the first award to and Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia (N00024-17-C-2100, N00024-15-C-2114, N00024-16-C-2116) recorded in the database, it establishes the company’s initial benchmark within the Navy portfolio. This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut (N00024-12-C-2115, N00024-17-C-2100, N00024-17-C-2117); and Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia (N00024-17-C-2100, N00024-15-C-2114, N00024-16-C-2116), in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $6,441,442,332. Because this is the first award to General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut (N00024-12-C-2115, N00024-17-C-2100, N00024-17-C-2117); and Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia (N00024-17-C-2100, N00024-15-C-2114, N00024-16-C-2116) recorded in the database, it establishes the company’s initial benchmark within the Navy portfolio.