The Navy on Thursday awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries’ [HII] Ingalls Shipbuilding a $165.5 million contract to procure long-lead time materials and non-recurring engineering activities for the first LPD Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, LPD-30.
The Navy chose HII as the winner of the LX(R) replacement program in April. The company will build the next type of amphibious transport docks as Flight II San Antonio-class ships. The Flight II ships will replace the 12 aging Whidbey Island/Harpers Ferry-class (LCD-41/49) amphibious ships (Defense Daily, April 12).
The Flight II ships will be able to support equipment like the new Textron [TXT] Ship-To-Shore Connector (SSC), CH-53K helicopter, and MV-22 Osprey. It will have improved troop armory/weapons stowage.
These kinds of ships are used to embark and land Marines with their equipment using landing craft or amphibious assault vehicles.
HII said this cost-plus-fixed-fee, not-to-exceed contract will fund the purchase of long-lead-time material and major equipment for main engines, diesel generators, deck equipment, shafting, propellers, valves, and other systems. The company underscored its vendor base of 400 companies in 30 states will be involved in the Flight II program.
The work will occur throughout the U.S. and is expected to be finished by December 2020. FY ’19 shipbuilding and conversion funds of $82 million were obligated at award time and will not expire at the end of this fiscal year. The contract was not competitively procured.
“This is a significant milestone as we embark toward a new flight of LPDs. The Flight II LPDs will be highly capable ships meeting the requirements and needs of our Navy-Marine Corps team. We look forward to delivering this series of affordable LPDs to our nation’s fleet of amphibious ships,” Brian Cuccias, Ingalls Shipbuilding president, said in a statement.
HII currently is finishing building the last Flight I San Antonio-class ships (LPD-17). It laid the keel for the future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) last October and started fabricating the future USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD-29) this week.
The company plans to start fabricating LPD-30 in 2020.