US Navy awards Austal LCS contract

Construction of the first LCS vessel will commence in early 2012 and is scheduled for delivery in 2015. The contract includes options for nine additional vessels in the following five years. Austal will immediately commence preparation work including a $140 million facility expansion and workforce development which will take approximately 12 months to complete.

The aluminium warships will be built at Austal’s U.S. shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, and will more than double Austal’s US workforce to around 3,800 employees.

Austal Limited’s Chairman John Rothwell said this contract is a very significant milestone for the company, and is proud that Austal has been selected to produce this important class of vessels for the U.S. Navy. “This contract has firmly established Austal as an international defence shipbuilder, is a strong vote of confidence in Austal’s aluminium trimaran LCS design, and also reflects the strength and capability of our USA operations and highly-skilled workforce,” said Rothwell.

The LCS program began in 2002 with the U.S. Navy’s pursuit of a new class of up to 55 ships for multi-mission support. The LCS is envisioned to be a versatile, networked, agile, surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetric threats in the littorals.

In October 2005, Austal, as a part of the General Dynamics LCS team, was one of two bidders awarded a landmark construction contract for one of two LCS, USS Independence (LCS 2), followed by a contratc to build a second Independence-class LCS, USS Coronado (LCS 4), in May 2009.

Austal is now the prime contractor for this expanded 10-ship, Independence class LCS program while General Dynamics Bath Iron Works remains the prime contractor on

USS Coronado

(LCS 4).