Bourgainville LHA launched but future of US Navy amphibious ship procurement remains uncertain
The US Navy is mandated to sustain its major amphibious ship capability at a force of 31 ships under the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. (Photo: HII).
The third America-class Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA) ship, Bourgainville (LHA 08), has been launched by Huntington Industries Ingalls (HII) shipyard but this progress comes against the backdrop of a dispute about amphibious ships within Congress and the US defence establishment.
Procurement of both the America-class LHAs and the San Antonio-class (LPD-17) Flight II Landing Platform Dock (LPD) amphibious ships are in question. There are ongoing concerns about viability of the existing LHA and LPD projects in supplying the right ships for future US Navy operations.
HII announced on 6 October that it had launched Bourgainville in a ceremony at its shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, in September and it is expected that the ship will be commissioned between 2024 and 2025. The ship is the first Flight I LHA in the class, the first two ships being designated Flight 0.
Meanwhile,
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