Ingalls just got a new multi-million dollar contract with the Navy for amphibious ships

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula has received a $165.5 million, cost-plus-fixed-fee advance procurement contract from the U.S. Navy to provide long-lead-time material and advance construction activities for amphibious transport ships.

“This is a significant milestone as we embark toward a new flight of LPDs,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias in a press release. “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.”

The funds from this contract will be used to purchase material and major equipment that takes a long time to manufacture, including main engines, diesel generators, deck equipment, shafting, propellers, valves and other systems.

This class of ship is a major part of the Navy’s amphibious assault force. The 684-foot-long, 105-foot-wide ships are used to embark and land Marines, their equipment and supplies ashore via air cushion or conventional landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles, assisted by helicopters or other aircraft.

The ships support a Marine Air Ground Task Force across the spectrum of operations, conducting amphibious and expeditionary missions of sea control and power projection to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.

Start of fabrication is scheduled for 2020.

This story was originally published August 3, 2018 at 9:47 AM.