Navy Nuclear Subs and Carriers Get $225M Supply Work

Curtiss-Wright's valve, pump, and control contracts run through 2030 across three active Navy nuclear programs.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Nuclear

Isometric editorial illustration of machined valve bodies and stacked pump casings linked by parallel pipes on a concrete plinth, in oxblood, teal, and mustard. — Curtiss-Wright won more than $225 million in contracts from Bechtel Plant Machinery to supply valves, pumps, and control systems for Navy nuclear submarine and carrier programs through 2030. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Curtiss-Wright has been awarded contracts valued above $225 million by Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc., to supply advanced propulsion valves, pumps, and instrumentation and control systems for U.S. Navy nuclear programs. The work supports the Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarine programs and the Ford-class aircraft carrier program. This is a contract award with work currently underway, not a new technology.

Why it matters

The awards tie a long-running nuclear propulsion supplier to three active Navy programs, with engineering, manufacturing, and testing set to continue through 2030. The contracts show how specialized valve, pump, and control suppliers remain central to nuclear-powered naval platforms.

The contracts cover propulsion valves, pumps, and instrumentation and control systems, with a reported contract value above $225 million. The source does not give performance specifications or measured figures for the equipment.

The players

Curtiss-Wright

A defense and industrial engineering company supplying propulsion valves, pumps, and control systems for the U.S. Navy's nuclear programs.

Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc.

A Bechtel subsidiary that manages nuclear propulsion plant equipment for U.S. Navy submarine and carrier programs.

The details

Curtiss-Wright supplies the components that move and regulate fluids and control signals inside a nuclear reactor's propulsion system. Propulsion valves control the flow of coolant and steam, pumps circulate fluid through the system, and instrumentation and control systems monitor and adjust operating conditions. The work is performed within the company's Defense Electronics and Naval & Power Segments at facilities in New York and Pennsylvania.

Engineering, manufacturing, and testing are underway now.
Work is projected to continue through 2030.

The Tech Race

The contracts keep Curtiss-Wright in the supplier base for the Navy's nuclear submarine and carrier fleet, a field where a small number of qualified component makers support the reactor and propulsion systems. The awards reflect continuity in that supplier base rather than a shift in technology.

The contracts do not change anything for civilian users directly, since the equipment serves Navy submarine and carrier programs. The source does not state a delivery or commissioning date for the supplied components.

The takeaway

Watch for Curtiss-Wright's engineering, manufacturing, and testing milestones on these programs through 2030, which will show whether the supply schedule holds. Contract announcements from Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. may also indicate how the work is distributed across the Virginia-class, Columbia-class, and Ford-class programs.