Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a contract modification for the US Navy’s America-class amphibious assault ship, LHA 9.
Valued at $107m, it is the fourth contract modification that will fund the long-lead-time material and advance procurement activities for the ship.
This modification brings the total advance funding value for LHA 9 to $457m. The third contract modification, worth $145m, was awarded to the division in June last year.
Ingalls Shipbuilding president Kari Wilkinson said: “The amphibious warship production line is a critical component of our nation’s defence industrial base.
“This funding will strengthen our suppliers and sustain jobs across the country in support of LHA 9 construction.”
HII noted that Ingalls is the only ‘builder of large-deck amphibious ships’ for the US Navy.
In 1966, the shipyard delivered its first amphibious assault ship, the Iwo Jima-class USS Tripoli (LPH 10).
Since then, Ingalls has built five Tarawa-class (LHA 1) ships and eight Wasp-class (LHD 1) ships.
In 2014, Ingalls also built the first in the new America-class of amphibious assault ships (LHA 6).
The second ship in the class, USS Tripoli (LHA 7), was delivered to US Navy early last year.
Amphibious assault ship Bougainville (LHA 8) is currently under construction.
Last month, HII’s Technical Solutions division won a position on the US Navy’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support contract.
