Military Projects
Navy Awards $118M Contract for Drone Facilities at Naval Station Norfolk
Grunley Construction to build new hangar facilities, renovate Hangar LP48 and upgrade infrastructure
An MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial refueling aircraft sits on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush during U.S. Navy testing. Naval Station Norfolk will receive new MQ-25 Aircraft Laydown Facilities under a $117.8-million military construction contract awarded to Grunley Construction Co.
The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command on July 17 awarded Rockville, Md.-based Grunley Construction Co. a $117.8-million military construction contract for MQ-25 Aircraft Laydown Facilities at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., supporting the Navy's carrier-based unmanned aerial refueling program.
The firm-fixed-price contract calls for construction of a hangar annex, renovations and additions to existing Hangar LP48, a Ground-Based Sense and Avoid antenna tower, aircraft apron improvements and related site infrastructure, according to Navy project documents.
An aerial view of Naval Station Norfolk, Va., shows the world's largest naval installation, where the Navy plans to build new MQ-25 Aircraft Laydown Facilities under a $117.8-million contract awarded to Grunley Construction Co. The project will include a hangar annex, renovations to Hangar LP48 and supporting infrastructure for the Navy's carrier-based unmanned aviation program.
Photo: U.S. Navy
Scope also includes utility relocation, deep pile foundations, stormwater management improvements, expanded security fencing, underground electrical and communications systems and new water, sewer, natural gas and fire-protection infrastructure.
Construction is scheduled for completion by April 2029. The Navy obligated $65.8 million at award, with the remaining contract value to be funded through future military construction appropriations. The contract was competitively procured through SAM.gov, with four offers received.
Solicitation documents identify site-development challenges. The work site is manmade land affected by decades of airfield and industrial operations, requiring remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater, treatment of dewatering runoff, and disposal of legacy aqueous film-forming foam associated with Hangar LP48's fire-protection system.
According to the Navy's Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction program justification submitted to Congress, the project will provide operational, maintenance, training, administrative and command facilities supporting MQ-25 operations.
The justification says Naval Station Norfolk was selected because the squadron must operate within 500 nautical miles of the Virginia Capes Operating Area to support carrier strike group training and Optimized Fleet Response Plan requirements.
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In its version of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act approved last October, the Senate included approximately $1.6 billion in military construction authorizations for the installation, highlighting the MQ-25 aircraft laydown facilities, dry dock modernization and other projects.
Separately, the July 17 contracts announcement included a second NAVFAC award of interest to design firms. NAVFAC Northwest selected Trevet-NOREAS JV LLC, San Diego, for a $45-million architect-engineer IDIQ contract to provide environmental restoration services throughout the command's area of responsibility through January 2032.
Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).
Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction and community issues, including finance, law and real estate. He has reported for Adweek and the San Diego Daily Transcript and led a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif. He served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and as managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. At Engineering News-Record, Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure and megaprojects, regulatory developments and business trends across the U.S. and global construction sectors.
email: gottliebb@enr.com | office: (248) 786-1591
