(LYNCHBURG, Va. – May 4, 2023) – BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: BWXT) and its employees are celebrating the deployment of the nuclear-powered USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). BWXT congratulates the U.S. Navy on the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford and is proud to have manufactured the nuclear reactors.

As the U.S. Navy has previously announced, the Gerald R. Ford is the lead ship in the Ford class of aircraft carrier, the first new carrier class in more than 40 years. The ship honors the 38th president of the United States, paying tribute to his lifetime of service in the Navy and the U.S. government.

A naval nuclear propulsion plant is made up of many parts manufactured by BWXT, including cores, large pressure vessels, pressurizers, steam generators and electro-mechanical components. Advance procurements for manufacturing the nuclear components that comprise the primary reactor compartment began in the early 2000s, with BWXT’s Nuclear Operations Group delivering hardware to the Navy from 2008 to 2011.

“After more than 65 years of work, BWXT has delivered more than 400 nuclear reactor cores and related products to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, and today we are very proud the first Ford class carrier is operationally ready to defend our country,” said Sharon Smoot, BWXT Nuclear Operations Group, Inc. president. “I’m very proud of our employees in Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Virginia who, year in and year out, tirelessly make sure our sailors have the highest quality hardware to confidently patrol the seas to protect global security.”

BWXT is the sole manufacturer of naval nuclear reactors, as well as the sole provider of nuclear fuel, for U.S. submarines and aircraft carriers. BWXT has been manufacturing naval nuclear components and reactors since the 1950s, when it designed and fabricated components for the USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine. Today, BWXT reactors power the Navy’s Ohio, Virginia, Seawolf and Los Angeles class submarines, as well as the Nimitz and Ford class aircraft carriers. BWXT reactors will also be used to power Columbia-class submarines.

About BWXT
At BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: BWXT), we are People Strong, Innovation Driven. Headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia, BWXT is a Fortune 1000 and Defense News Top 100 manufacturing and engineering innovator that provides safe and effective nuclear solutions for global security, clean energy, environmental restoration, nuclear medicine and space exploration. With approximately 7,000 employees, BWXT has 14 major operating sites in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. In addition, BWXT joint ventures provide management and operations at a dozen U.S. Department of Energy and NASA facilities.  Follow us on Twitter at @BWXT and learn more at www.bwxt.com.

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BWXT Media Contact
Jud Simmons
Senior Director, Media & Public Relations
434.522.6462 hjsimmons@bwxt.com