
The Navy on Friday awarded Austal USA a $235 million contract modification for the detail design and construction of the Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) 15. The Defense Department contract announcement on Feb. 26 noted the EPF class “provides high speed, shallow draft transportation capability to support the intra-theater maneuver of personnel, supplies and equipment for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Army.” EPFs are non-combat ships operated by Military Sealift Command that operate in shallow-draft ports and waterways to transport…