USN orders five additional LCU 1700 craft
LCU 1700 landing craft. (Photo: Swiftships)
Swiftships is building five more Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1700 class craft for the USN, after receiving a $59.28 million contract modification from Naval Sea Systems Command.
Work on LCU 1707 to LCU 1711 will be completed by November 2023, the DoD announced on 7 May.
The original LCU 1700 contract for Swiftships in 2018 included options for the construction of up to 31 craft to replace the LCU 1610 class, with the last delivery expected in 2027.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, craft in the LCU 1700 class are each 42.4m long with a beam of 9.4m, a draught of 1.3m and a full load displacement of 434.9t.
Powered by two diesel propulsion with Kort nozzles providing 500hp sustained with twin shafts, the craft have a maximum speed of 11kt and a range of 1200nmi at 8kt with a crew of 13.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1700 [USN]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
Sweden swayed by speed to capability in French frigate win
Naval Group has secured a contract to supply four Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention frigates to the Royal Swedish Navy, extending the French naval industry’s reach into Northern Europe and showing why speed to capability has become the defining criterion in today’s defence procurement contests.
-
SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations
US Naval Special Warfare Command is assessing the feasibility of rapidly producing expendable mid-sized USVs in theatre to support SOF and maritime security missions.
-
SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system
MARSOC is procuring the Shark Marine Dive Tablet 2 to address a longstanding combat diver navigation capability gap, improving underwater positioning, situational awareness and integration with existing diver propulsion vehicles.
-
SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort
The US Army Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare are accelerating efforts to integrate commercial uncrewed systems, with NSW broadening its solicitation to include USVs and UUVs alongside new requirements for ISR, kinetic operations and swarm technologies.