Austal has received a $23 million award from the US Department of Defense for support activities including dry docking for the USS Tulsa Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). 

This award of the post shakedown availability (PSA) service contract for the US Navy’s LCS 16 follows on from a $21 million contract Austal was awarded in January 2019 for the USS Manchester (LCS 14). 

Both are Independence-class LCS manufactured by Austal. 

The USS Tulsa PSA contract will be the second contract for which Austal is prime contractor for this type of support work, a PSA award for USS Manchester having been the first. 

‘Austal’s sustainment business is continuing to expand as more Austal-designed and constructed naval vessels are delivered into service, and there’s a solid pipeline of vessels still under construction,’ David Singleton, Austal’s CEO, said. 

‘Construction of a ship takes about two years, whereas sustainment can provide continuing work and regular earnings for Austal for many years, even decades. Austal has significantly expanded its operations in the United States and globally to meet continuing sustainment requirements of naval customers.’

To date Austal has delivered 10 LCS vessels with a further nine vessels on order, all of which will undergo regular maintenance and dry docking activities to maintain fleet availability during the lifespan of the vessels. 

Australia-headquarted Austal’s US west coast operations, headquartered in San Diego, California, has grown this year to include expanded service capacity to support the Independence-class LCS. 

Its global services capacity in support of US programmes has included increased capacity in Mobile, Alabama where the Independence-class is built, as well as at its Singapore service centre. 

The Independence-class LCS is a 127m, frigate-sized vessel, and is in full rate production, with several ships under construction simultaneously. 

USS Kansas City (LCS 22) and USS Oakland (LCS 24) are both preparing for trials, while final assembly is underway for USS Mobile (LCS 26) and has just recently begun for USS Canberra (LCS 30).