UK’s $1 billion AUKUS support request signals strong ongoing US collaboration
The latest foreign military sales request from the UK has implications for the future of the programme and collaboration between the three nations.
USN orders repairs to LCS waterjet and shaft assemblies
USS Independence at sea in April 2019. (Photo: USN/Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon Renfroe)
Wärtsilä Defense is to conduct repairs on Independence-class LCS vessels.
Wärtsilä Defense has received an IDIQ contract worth up to $76.28 million from the US Naval Surface Warfare Center, to repair waterjet and shaft assemblies on Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs).
‘Work will be completed at the contractor’s facility in Chesapeake, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by July 2027. The contract will have a 60-month ordering period,’ the DoD noted on 28 July.
Fitted with two LM2500 gas turbines and two MTU Series 8000 diesel engines, as well as two LJ160E and two LJ150E waterjets, the trimaran Independence-class design can reach a top speed of 44kt with a range of 4,300 nautical miles.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![UK’s $1 billion AUKUS support request signals strong ongoing US collaboration]()
-
![US Coast Guard prepares acquisition process of up to seven light icebreakers]()
US Coast Guard prepares acquisition process of up to seven light icebreakers
The USCG plans to award a contract this year for the construction of Homeland Security Cutters. The new vessels will replace the 60-plus-year-old fleet of Light Icebreaking Tugs.
-
![RTX Raytheon enhances SM-3 and SM-6 production capacity]()
RTX Raytheon enhances SM-3 and SM-6 production capacity
The expansion of the Redstone facility in Alabama will enable Raytheon to increase production of Standard Missiles in the location by 50% and support Washington in refilling stockpiles after recent operations have depleted the Pentagon’s reserves.
-
![What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement]()
What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement
Major naval initiatives including the European Patrol Corvette programmes and Norway’s UK partnership-focused purchase of Type 26 frigates point to the growing interest in the advantages of commonality across allied navies.
-
![Kraken’s Royal Navy USV contract signals next step in crewed-uncrewed integration]()
Kraken’s Royal Navy USV contract signals next step in crewed-uncrewed integration
The UK Royal Navy’s rapid procurement of uncrewed platforms aligns with the force’s strategic shift towards a fleet better equipped to handle modern threats.
-
![HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment]()
HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment
The Astute-class submarine’s visit to Australia was the first time maintenance activity on a UK Royal Navy nuclear submarine had been carried out in the country.
