Austal USA has received a contract to supply additional littoral combat ship (LCS) class design services for the US Navy.
The latest $16.30m deal was awarded by the US Department of Defense (DoD) for a cost-plus-fixed fee to a previously awarded contract.
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Austal will be responsible for providing the US Navy with LCS-class design services such as integrated data and product model environment (IDPME) support under the arrangement.
The deal also includes the supply of various class design products, including technical analyses, engineering, configuration management, software maintenance and development, production assessment, diminishing manufacturing sources and sea-frame reliability analysis.
Austal chief executive officer David Singleton said: “The LCS has a significant economic footprint in the US, supporting tens of thousands of jobs through the contributions of more than 900 local suppliers in 41 states involved in the programme.
“Austal is very proud of the LCS programme and we are focused on providing the most cost-effective and capable small surface combatants in the world for the US Navy.”
Work on the project is slated to be completed in June 2019 and will be carried out by Austal USA at its manufacturing facilities at Mobile, Alabama, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
The US Navy’s LCS is a 127m-long, frigate-sized ship that is being constructed at Austal’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.
The LCS development programme is currently operating at full-rate production capacity.
Austal previously delivered two LCS-class ships earlier this year, while another six vessels are under construction.
Two further vessels, LCS28 and LCS30, are currently in the pre-construction phase.
