HII Ingalls to build four more amphibious ships under $9.6 billion in contracts
An aerial view of HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding with USS Richard M. McCool, Jr (LPD 29) departing for commissioning and Bougainville (LHA 8) under construction. (Photo: HII)
Ingalls has delivered 13 San Antonio-class amphibious ships and 15 large-deck amphibious ships to the US Navy with two more of each type in construction.
Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of HII, will build three more San Antonio-class Landing Platform Dock (LPD) amphibious ships and another America-class Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA) amphibious ship under new contracts announced on 24 September.
The San Antonio-class contract is worth US$5.8 billion for detail, design and construction (DD&C) of three Flight II standard ships, specifically LPD 33, LPD 34 and LPD 35.
The America-class contract has been valued at $3.7 billion and will support the advance procurement of long-lead-time material procurement, DD&C and special studies for LHA 10.
To date, Ingalls has delivered 13 San Antonio-class ships and 15 large-deck amphibious ships to the US Navy.
The LHA production line includes the construction of Bougainville (LHA 8) and Fallujah (LHA 9) and there are two Flight II LPDs under construction, Harrisburg (LPD 30) and Pittsburgh (LPD 31).
The first America-class ship was commissioned in 2014 and the second in 2020 with both described as Flight 0 and featuring a design based on the final ship of the Wasp-class LHDs, USS Makin Island.
In March 2023, Ingalls was awarded a modification to the contract for the DD&C of Philadelphia (LPD 32), the 16th ship in the San Antonio-class.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
San Antonio LPD 17 Flight II [USN]
LHA Replacement Programme [USN]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Australia’s A$12 billion Perth shipyard upgrade offers positive sign for AUKUS]()
Australia’s A$12 billion Perth shipyard upgrade offers positive sign for AUKUS
While the Australian government insists the investment is predominantly aimed at strengthening the country’s defence capabilities, the upgrade also bodes well for the AUKUS pact which Australia’s defence minister said “is going well”.
-
![DSEI 2025: Red Cat expands into USV production with focus on combat-proven technology]()
DSEI 2025: Red Cat expands into USV production with focus on combat-proven technology
At DSEI 2025, Red Cat outlines its expansion from UAVs into uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), positioning itself as a multi-domain defence provider spanning land, sea, and air.
-
![Anduril Australia wins A$1.7 billion Ghost Shark XL-AUV contract]()
Anduril Australia wins A$1.7 billion Ghost Shark XL-AUV contract
The vessels are expected to deliver a major boost to Australia’s undersea warfare capabilities, with production set to start immediately.
-
![Royal Canadian Navy will start operating class 2 UAVs in 2028]()
Royal Canadian Navy will start operating class 2 UAVs in 2028
Acquired under Canada’s Department of National Defence ISTAR UAS project, the drones will be deployed from the Halifax-class frigates.
-
![US Navy prepares next step of the F-35 Block 4 upgrade while GAO predicts acquisition delays]()
US Navy prepares next step of the F-35 Block 4 upgrade while GAO predicts acquisition delays
The US Navy published a pre-solicitation notice of intent for the third phase of the F-35 Reprogramming Verification & Validation System. Meanwhile, with a five-year delay in its schedule, GAO foresees more postponements in the completion of the Block 4 effort.
