Fairbanks Morse Defense has received a contract to deliver components for the US Navy’s future Explorer-class Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance Ships.
The deal ordered the company’s axial and centrifugal fans, capstans, center well hatches, reverse osmosis and brominator water treatment systems, as well as gravity davits.
Work will be facilitated in partnership with Fairbanks Morse’s subsidiaries American Fan, Federal Equipment Company, Maxim Watermakers, and Welin Lambie.
Being developed by Austal USA, the US Navy’s Explorer fleet will incorporate up to seven ships that will be used for collecting underwater acoustic data in support of anti-submarine missions.
Once completed, the vessels will replace the force’s Victorious and Impeccable surveillance ships operational since the 1980s.
Deliveries of the new craft are expected to run through the 2030s if all options under the $3.2-billion program are exercised.

“As our global rivals advance their submarine programs with cutting-edge technologies, the Military Sealift Command must modernize its capabilities to detect and outmaneuver these formidable vessels with proven, reliable equipment from trusted suppliers,” Fairbanks Morse Defense CEO George Whittier stated.
“Fairbanks Morse Defense is distinctly positioned to offer a comprehensive portfolio of equipment that maritime defense leaders already rely on, with the added benefit of streamlined processes, reduced time, and cost savings realized by working through a single supplier instead of multiple vendors.”
US Navy’s T-AGOS 25 Ship
The Explorer oceanic surveillance system, also called the T-AGOS 25, measures 356 feet (109 meters) long and can accommodate more than 60 personnel.
It will employ multiple sensors to cover both acoustic passive and active underwater data.
The vessel will be fitted with four electric motors, three diesel generators, a gas turbine, a twin bow thruster, and a twin fixed propeller.
The Explorer has a top speed of 20 knots (23 miles/37 kilometers per hour) and a range of 3,000 nautical miles (3,452 miles/5,556 kilometers).