US Navy orders more Independence-class ships
Austal has received construction contracts from the US Navy to build two additional Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), the company announced on 18 September.
These ships will be the sixteenth and seventeenth ships in the class. The value of each contract is under the congressional cost cap of $584 million per ship.
The 127m, frigate-sized vessel was originally designed in the Austal centre for excellence in maritime design, based in Henderson, Western Australia. The vessel design has been transferred to Austal USA and they are built at Austal's Mobile, Alabama shipyard.
Construction of LCS 32 is scheduled to begin in 2019, with delivery of LCS 34 expected to occur in mid-fiscal year 2023.
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