Austal nets US Navy T-AGOS surveillance ships contract
A rendering of Austal's T-AGOS design. (Image: Austal USA)
The Alabama-based shipyard has received a $113 million contract for detail design of the USN’s Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance Ship T-AGOS 25 class.
Options under the contract for constructing up to seven ships bring its cumulative potential value to $3.195 billion.
Operated by Military Sealift Command (MSC), T-AGOS ships support anti-submarine warfare operations by offering passive and active acoustic surveillance capabilities.
Related Articles
Austal Australia converts patrol boat into unmanned vessel
Netherlands to arm ships and submarines with Tomahawk missiles
US Navy anti-sub exercise puts crewed-uncrewed teaming to the test
The 110m steel ‘small waterplane area twin hull’ (SWATH) vessels measure 110m long and gather data using Surveillance Towed-Array Sensor System (SURTASS) equipment.
The award is the latest steel shipbuilding contract for Austal USA, which also builds the USN’s Towing, Salvage and Rescue (T-ATS) ships and Auxiliary Floating Drydock Medium (AFDM).
The company is also building the USCG’s Heritage-class offshore patrol cutters (OPCs).
Austal USA has teamed with L3Harris, Noise Control Engineering, TAI Engineering and Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors to deliver T-AGOS ships from its facility in Mobile, Alabama.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
Funding for the future US Navy Trump-class battleship sparks controversy in Congress
Lawmakers question the US Navy’s proposed $2 billion investment in the Trump-class battleship as concerns over cost, technology maturity and operational relevance fuel growing bipartisan scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
-
Germany sinks F126 frigate programme in favour of cheaper MEKO A-200
On 24 June 2026, the German Ministry of Defence announced it was cancelling the F126 frigate programme in favour of procuring eight MEKO A-200 DEU frigates.
-
UK’s Type 31 frigate balances cost pressure with long-term export ambition
The UK shipbuilder’s full-year results to the end of March revealed the impact of the £140 million charge linked to design changes and rework on the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate programme.