WASHINGTON, DC—Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is pleased to announce that Congressional negotiators have reached a final agreement on the fiscal year 2007 Defense Appropriations bill that secures full funding of $3.4 billion for the DD(X) program, the amount for which Senator Collins fought to secure. This bill authorizes the simultaneous construction of two DD(X) ships in FY 2007-08, one of which will be built at Bath Iron Works. In addition, the spending bill also includes more than $78 million in defense-related projects for Maine.
“It is good news for our national security and the skilled workers at Bath Iron Works that this bill recognizes the importance of the DD(X) program by fully funding the program. It is also good news that negotiators have approved nearly $78 million in important defense related projects that benefit Maine,” said Senator Collins.
The conference report is a final agreement between House and Senate Negotiators. It must be given final approval by both chambers, which is expected to happen later this week.
Highlights of the spending bill are as follows:
- It fully funds, at a level of $3.4 billion, the simultaneous construction of two DD(X) ships in fiscal year 2007 and 2008. BIW will build one of the ships.
- $520.7 million for the New Littoral Combat Ship Program, which includes work for a construction team led by BIW, which was included at the request of Senator Collins.
- $32.2 million for BIW’s DDG-51 Modernization Program.
- $3 million for the Army Center of Excellence on Advanced Materials and Structures for Force Protection at the University of Maine for lightweight, rapidly erectable and blast resistant structures for troops in combat environments.
- $24.1 million for various projects at Saco Defense, including $5.81 million for the MK47 Mod 0 Striker 40 and $3.25 million for the XM307 25mm Advanced Crew Serve Weapon System for ongoing work at Saco Defense.
- $1.5 million for the SKYBUS Lighter Than Air Unmanned Aerial Vehicle technologies at Telford Aviation in Bangor.
- $1 million for the Low Cost Avionics project at Vicus Technologies in Kennebunk that supports the research of avionic subsystems component interfaces and further design and test prototypes in varying operational conditions.
- $1.15 million for Portland Valve’s Smart Valve, which will help reduce future maintenance required on Navy ships.
- $2.7 million for the Small Watercraft Propulsion Demonstrator developed by Applied Thermal Sciences in Orono to safeguard ports and harbors against increasing terrorist threats and provide escorts to large Navy ships during refueling and port operations.
- $1.8 million for the development of high performance sandwich panel construction techniques at Applied Thermal Sciences in Sanford to lower shipbuilding costs and reduce platform weight for next generation surface combatants, including the DD(X).
- $1.1 million for Orono Spectral Solutions and the University of Maine’s work on next generation chemical and biological sensors and detectors.
- $5 million to Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay, in a joint venture with Maine Marine Manufacturing and the University of Maine, for the Mark V replacement patrol boat that supports the missions of the Navy, Special Operations, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
- $1.1 million for the weaponization of the Ripsaw Unmanned Ground Vehicle using technology developed by Howe & Howe of North Berwick.
- $1 million for the Personal Digital Assistant Maintenance Application Project at the Brunswick Naval Air Station that allows maintenance personnel to record their inspection data directly onto personal digital assistant devices to speed efficiency.
- $1 million for the High Performance Brush Program at the Kittery-Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to install metal fiber brushes in critical submarine applications.
- $1.65 million for the Wireless Condition-Based Maintenance Monitoring Program which will allow Kittery-Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to install machinery health monitoring systems and implement maintenance management practices.
- $1.95 million for the New England Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative.