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Through a contract modification from the United States Department of the Navy, Ingalls Shipbuilding will receive a $2.4 billion award for the construction of the LHA 9, a large-deck America-class amphibious assault ship.
Construction is scheduled to begin in December.
“Ingalls shipbuilders are ready to build the Navy’s newest LHA,” said Kari Wilkinson, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. “We understand how important this work is and consider it an honor to be given the opportunity to bring this capability to the fleet. We value our partnership with the Navy and all of our critical supplier partners.”
Ingalls, a subsidiary of HII, is a longtime partner of the US Navy and Marines. It has, to date, supplied 15 large decks to the US fleet. In this case, it will handle the design and construction of LHA 9, with contract options that could bring its total repair cost to $3.2 billion.
America-class vessels can operate in high-density, multi-threat environments as part of expeditionary strikes, amphibious task forces, or amphibious ready groups. It has both a flight capability and a surface disposal method. It can also host aircraft such as the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and MV-22 Osprey.
This funding award was praised by US Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Appropriations Committee, respectively.
“This is great news for both the talented shipbuilders at Ingalls and the future of our fleet and, more importantly, our national security,” Wicker said. “Amphibious assault ships provide critical capabilities to our Navy and Marines, and they are an important deterrent against China. We will need to maintain this momentum as we work to expand our Navy and keep our nation safe in the coming decades.”