BOSTON, April 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research has added $13 million increase to American Superconductor's $70 million contract to design an electric propulsion motor for the DD(X) warship.
American Superconductor is designing the 36.5 megawatt motors with high-temperature superconductors, ceramic composites cooled to extremely low temperatures that transfer vast amounts of electricity, Boston Business Journal reported April 27.
The Navy plans to use the motors in the planned DD(X) destroyer, with the first two ships expected to launch in 2012 at a projected cost of $3 billion each. American Superconductor is to deliver the first motor by September to a Navy test facility in Philadelphia, the report said.
The next-generation DD(X) destroyer is planned to perform missions in deep ocean and shallower coastal waters with greater fuel efficiency and smaller crews.
"This means Navy ships could carry more fuel and munitions, and have more room for crew's quarters and weapons systems," the New England company said in a news release. "In addition, HTS motors operate with higher fuel efficiency and are expected to have lower maintenance costs than their conventional copper counterparts."
American Superconductor is the lead contractor for the HTS motors, which are significantly smaller and lighter than current copper-based motors that produce comparable power and torque. The development of the HTS is being carried out in conjunction with Northrop Grumman and has completed two of the three phases of the project.
Despite the ambitious predictions for the DD(X), the project has come under fire in Congress for its hefty price tag, which has ballooned from a ballpark $1 billion per ship to $3 billion.
The development of the HTS is being carried out in conjunction with Northrop Grumman and has completed two of the three phases of the project.
