The Pentagon has handed Newport News Shipbuilding a $5.1 billion contract to refuel and overhaul the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, a project expected to keep the carrier out of active duty until November 2031. The award comes just months after the Truman wrapped up a grueling combat deployment that saw it dodge disaster in the Mediterranean and unleash one of the largest carrier-launched airstrike campaigns in naval history.
The base contract is valued at $5,099,973,132, with optional incentives that could push the total to $5,183,380,744 once fully executed, according to the U.S. Department of War. As reported by Cleveland.com, the Pentagon has already made $548 million available immediately to get the work underway, with the rest to follow as the project proceeds.
The contract was awarded without competitive bidding, a decision the Pentagon justified under Title 10 U.S. Code Section 3204(a)(1), the statute that permits non-competitive defense awards when only one facility can meet national security requirements. Per the department's notice, Huntington Ingalls Industries has the knowledge, experience and facilities required to perform the work without unacceptable disruption to the Navy-wide overhaul and repair schedule. Newport News Shipbuilding is the nation's only shipyard capable of refueling nuclear aircraft carriers, as Defense News notes.
A Carrier Returning From the Fight
The Truman isn't heading to drydock after a quiet tour. The carrier just completed a 251-day deployment during which it expended more than 1.1 million pounds of ordnance against Houthi targets in Yemen, part of what Defense News describes as the largest carrier-launched airstrike operation in naval history, with the strike group operating extensively across the Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean.
That same deployment nearly ended in catastrophe. In February 2025, the Truman collided with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M near Port Said, Egypt — a Navy investigation cited by Task & Purpose said a one-degree change in the carrier's trajectory could have endangered watchstanders, while an impact 100 feet farther forward would have pierced a berthing compartment housing 120 sleeping sailors. The commanding officer at the time, Capt. Dave Snowden, was subsequently relieved of command.
Bryan Caccavale said the team had been working ahead on the engineering and construction project to prepare the Truman for the second half of its service life, according to Cleveland.com's reporting. He added that the division would work with suppliers and Navy partners to ensure a successful recapitalization once the ship arrives at port.
What the Overhaul Actually Involves
The work, issued by the Portfolio Acquisition Executive, Maritime office in Washington, D.C., covers far more than patching hull damage from the Besiktas-M collision. Huntington Ingalls Industries has said the planned overhaul represents nearly a third of all maintenance and modernization the carrier will undergo across its entire service life. The project includes refueling the Truman's nuclear reactors, extensive modernization across thousands of compartments and tanks, and upgrades to most ship systems.
Major work will also target the propulsion plant and combat systems, bringing the carrier's capabilities up to date for the back half of its operational lifespan. Refueling and Complex Overhaul procedures typically take between three and five years in drydock, according to 19FortyFive, since nuclear carriers require a complete reactor core replacement after roughly 25 years of operation. The Truman will become the eighth Nimitz-class carrier to go through the process at Newport News.
Years of Planning Led to This Moment
The $5.1 billion execution contract didn't come out of nowhere. The Navy had already funneled advance planning money toward the Truman project for years, including $913 million awarded in January 2024, $276 million in August 2025, and $97.7 million in December 2025, according to Department of War contract records. That funding covered long-lead nuclear fuel materials and structural design engineering needed before the ship could even enter drydock.
HII's momentum extends beyond the Truman. The same week the overhaul contract was finalized, the company also secured a Navy order to build 10 ROMULUS uncrewed surface vessels under the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel program and achieved preliminary acceptance for the new carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), according to Benzinga. It's a sign the shipbuilder is expanding into autonomous naval craft even as it keeps its core supercarrier workload running at capacity.
A Gap in the Fleet
Pulling the Truman from service removes one of the Navy's ten active Nimitz-class supercarriers from global deployment rotations until at least 2029 to 2031, according to Defense News, adding pressure to the remaining carrier strike groups that will have to cover the gap. The concern isn't hypothetical — the USS John C. Stennis overhaul was delayed by 14 months.
The shipyard is preparing for the Truman overhaul. HII's Newport News division is also the builder behind aircraft carrier CVN-81, work Hoodline has previously covered. For now, the shipyard's focus shifts to getting one of the Navy's most battle-tested carriers ready for its next quarter-century at sea.
