Navy Sub's Overheating Motor First Glitch in $126 Billion System
- Navy discloses setback while saying that it’s been resolved
- Subcontractor to General Dynamics designed prototype motor
The USS Ohio, a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, is unveiled to the press at the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base near Tokyo, on July 14, 2011.
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The first known glitch in a $126 billion nuclear-armed submarine program -- overheating of a prototype motor -- was disclosed by a key U.S. lawmaker this week and confirmed by the Navy, which said it has fixed the problem.
The flaw in the main propulsion motor was discovered earlier this year, the Navy said in a statement Thursday. Still, it was a milestone, of sorts: an early setback for the submarine being built by General Dynamics Corp. and top subcontractor Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc.