Navy Awards Bird-Johnson Propeller $98.7 Million Sole-Source Overhaul Deal
The Walpole, Massachusetts, propeller maker received a firm-fixed-price contract to overhaul controllable-pitch propeller hubs and oil distribution boxes, with work running through July 2029.
WALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS — Bird-Johnson Propeller Co. LLC received a $98.7 million Navy contract to overhaul controllable-pitch propeller hubs, its largest award ever, as announced on war.gov.
The firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity award covers commercial depot-level overhaul of the hubs and oil distribution boxes. The Navy obligated $362,706 at the time of award through the first task order. Work will run in Walpole, Massachusetts, through July 2029.
“We are honored to power the U.S. Navy’s flagship destroyer,” said Dan Rediger, president of power and propulsion at parent company Fairbanks Morse Defense, in remarks reported by navaltoday.com. Bird-Johnson has served as the sole provider of the shock-qualified controllable-pitch propeller systems for the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer since the program began, winning its first contract 40 years ago, according to navaltoday.com.
The award anchors skilled manufacturing jobs in Walpole and sustains propulsion systems the surface fleet depends on across decades of service. Taxpayers carry the cost of a non-competitive contract, a structure that limits price pressure from rival bidders but reflects the specialized nature of the work.
The Navy did not compete the deal under 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1), which permits single-source awards when only one responsible source can satisfy agency requirements, as announced on war.gov. Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division serves as the contracting activity. The sole-source basis reflects Bird-Johnson’s position as the only qualified overhaul provider for the propeller systems it originally engineered.
The deal marks the third contract awarded to Bird-Johnson in 2026, lifting the company’s total contract value for the year to $120.3 million, according to war.gov. It surpasses the company’s previous record of $21.6 million and ranks as the 44th Department of Defense contract issued in Massachusetts during 2026.
Against the broader Navy portfolio, the award sits between the branch’s year-to-date minimum near $9 million and a maximum near $8 billion, placing it among the mid-tier awards for the service in 2026. It was one of 13 Department of Defense contracts announced nationwide on July 31, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET.
For the average reader, the contract carries no direct effect on daily life. It illustrates how federal defense spending flows into specialized regional manufacturing and sustains the vessels that patrol global sea lanes.
Sole-source overhaul awards to Bird-Johnson have happened before. The company has repeatedly secured Navy propeller work as the only qualified supplier, including an order in April 2026 to supply propellers for the 100th DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, according to navaltoday.com.
The Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division will direct the next steps by issuing task orders as contracting actions occur. No date for the next task order has been announced.
Controllable-pitch propeller technology has powered the U.S. surface fleet through repeated modernization. Bird-Johnson delivered systems to the first Arleigh Burke destroyers that entered service on July 4, 1991, each engineered to withstand 50,000 shaft horsepower, according to navaltoday.com. That early work later shaped propulsion designs for the San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks and the America-class amphibious assault ships, cementing the firm as a durable pillar of Navy propulsion long after its first contract four decades ago.
This contract represents the 3rd contract awarded to Bird-Johnson Propeller Co. LLC, in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $120,270,794. It is also the 44th Department of Defense contract awarded in Massachusetts during 2026. This is the largest contract ever awarded to Bird-Johnson Propeller Co. LLC, surpassing the company’s previous record of $21,569,620, and it is notable within the Navy portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Navy portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,046,496 and maximum of $8,000,000,000. Overall, this award was announced among 13 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 31, 2026.
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