US Navy awards $15 billion contract for two more carriers
The US Navy has given a $15 billion contract to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division to build the third and fourth Ford-class aircraft carriers, the Pentagon announced on 31 January.
Combining the two ships, CVN-80 and 81, into a single contract for detail design and construction is expected to create economies of scale, saving about $4 billion compared to buying the ships individually, as the navy did with the first two carriers.
The two-ship purchase will allow Newport News ‘to design once and build twice for unprecedented labour reductions, while providing stability and opportunities for further
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