SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY ANNOUNCES $4 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR WALPOLE-BASED BIRD-JOHNSON

July 20, 2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Ranking Member of the Seapower Subcommitte, announced today that the final version of the Fiscal Year 2001 Department of Defense Appropriations Conference Report includes $4 million for the Advanced Waterjet-21 program at Bird-Johnson. The Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense completed work on the bill on Monday, July 17, 2000. The House of Representatives passed the bill on Wednesday and the Senate is expected to follow suit very soon.

Senator Kennedy said, "The Advanced Waterjet-21 program is a strong candidate for the new Zumwalt-class land-attack destroyer and a vital technology for the future of the Navy. The men and women of Bird-Johnson Company should be justifiably proud of this program and of its important contribution to our national defense."

The AWJ-21 is a low cost, high performance propulsor option for future naval ships. It has the potential to significantly increase the sustained and top speeds for both ships and submarines and will meet the Navy's rigorous requirements for reduced ship signature and increased maneuverability. The additional funds are for the test program, building a demonstrator, and validating analytical performance data. Work will be performed on this program in Walpole.

Press Contact

Will Keyser (202) 224-2633

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