US Coast Guard enhances Arctic protection with a new Fast Response Cutter
After commissioning, FRC Frederick Mann will operate in Alaska and perform multiple missions.
Aerial view of Norfolk Naval Shipyard. (Photo: USN/Mass Communication 2nd Class Ernest Scott)
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has selected multiple shipyards in the US to conduct complex repair, maintenance and modernisation work on various USN ship classes homeported in Norfolk, Virginia.
‘These efforts consist of Chief of Naval Operations scheduled docking and non-docking, continuous maintenance and emergent maintenance availabilities of surface combatant class ships,’ the DoD announced on 6 January.
One multiple-award IDIQ contract worth up to $639.8 million will see BAE Systems, General Dynamics NASSCO and four other independent shipyards compete for work on Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers and Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers at Norfolk.
Another multiple-award IDIQ contract for the same companies, with a maximum value of $337.61 million, covers Norfolk-homeported amphibious assault vessels (America class and Wasp class), San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks and Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships.
Each contract has an estimated ordering period of five years.
After commissioning, FRC Frederick Mann will operate in Alaska and perform multiple missions.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) created new units, including five Programme Executive Offices (PEOs), to facilitate and speed up the procurement of new capabilities.
The US Navy does not have a precise date for the award of the procurement contract for the third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer despite having the funds to advance with the programme in FY2025.
The US Navy (USN) is currently reassessing its acquisition efforts and seeking ways to reduce the multiple delays across the shipbuilding initiatives.
The Royal Australian Navy has finally commissioned the first Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel – more than three years behind schedule – highlighting the programme’s delays, design compromises and ongoing industrial restructuring.
The Italian Navy is being refreshed with two new ships ordered, while in the past six months steel was cut for a new frigate, an enhanced frigate was delivered and Horizon-class frigates passed a design review.