The Navy has awarded a $498 million contract to General Dynamics [GD] NASSCO yard for the detailed design and construction of a ship intended to serve as a mobile base.
The contract is for the second Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) in the Afloat Forward Staging Base program. It was published by the Pentagon on Friday.
The Navy wants the ships to rely less on foreign countries for hosting operations. Under this contract, the MLP is scheduled for completion in March 2018, General Dynamics said Monday.
NASSCO stands for National Steel and Shipbuilding Company.