US Navy to buy pair of aircraft carriers
The US Navy has received DoD approval to buy the third and fourth Ford-class aircraft carriers in one contract instead of two, an approach that is expected to create efficiencies that will save $4 billion compared to purchasing the ships individually.
DoD acquisition chief Ellen Lord signed off on the block buy, and the Pentagon formally notified Congress of the decision on 31 December. Under a provision in the FY19 Defense Authorization Act, the navy must wait until 30 days after the notification before awarding the construction contract to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division.
The navy said
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