Australia to respond to surface fleet review in 2024
The Australian government will receive the much-anticipated independent Royal Australian Navy surface fleet review today, but will not publish the document or its response until next year.
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded an $88.2 million fixed-price contract by the US Coast Guard (USCG) for the purchase of long-lead materials for a ninth National Security Cutter (NSC), the company announced on 30 August.
The funds will be used to purchase major items for the vessel, including electrical switchboards, generators, the main propulsion systems, steel and major castings.
Ingalls has already delivered the first five NSCs to the USCG. The sixth NSC, Munro (WMSL 755), is scheduled for acceptance sea trials and delivery in the fourth quarter of 2016. The seventh and eighth are currently in/set to commence construction.
The 418ft NSCs have a top speed of 28 knots, range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days. The vessel has an aft launch and recovery area for two rigid hull inflatable boats, as well as a flight deck for manned and unmanned rotary wing aircraft. The cutters are designed to carry out missions for law enforcement, marine safety, maritime homeland security, national defence and environmental protection.
Ingalls has also announced a $13.7 million contract (with incremental funding) for contract design work on the amphibious warfare ship replacement for the US Navy, known as LX(R). The LX(R) will replace the navy’s Harpers Ferry- and Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships, and will use the same hull as the San Antonio class (LPD).
The Australian government will receive the much-anticipated independent Royal Australian Navy surface fleet review today, but will not publish the document or its response until next year.
Taiwan has made good progress with its submarine programme, revealing its initial boat in late September.
HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has completed the pressure hull for the Virginia-class submarine USS Arkansas (SSN 800) meaning that all of the hull sections were joined to form a single watertight unit, marking a significant milestone in the construction process.
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri delivered the third of seven Pattugliatori Polivalenti d'Altura (PPA) Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Vessel to the Italian Navy during a ceremony on 27 September.
India's first domestically built aircraft carrier was massively late by six years, but the country thinks it can do better with the next ship.
Serco has been awarded a $200 million contract by the US Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific to provide technology support services for anti-terrorism efforts, including deployment of the Physical Security Information Management System (PSIM).