The US Navy has ordered two additional heavy-lift Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels from Austal to expand its upcoming fleet to five.
Announced Monday, the contract modification costs $54.9 million.
According to company chief executive Paddy Gregg, the additional order reflects the service’s recognition of how the construction of its first LCU is going.
It also reportedly highlights Austal’s expertise in building military-grade vessels.
“The US Navy has recognized that Austal USA has made a great start to construction on the first LCU craft,” he said, adding that the team will continue to demonstrate its industry leading capabilities to manage multiple shipbuilding projects for the US Navy.
In addition to the LCU, the Alabama-based firm said it is also building the navy’s Towing, Salvage and Rescue (T-ATS) ships and Ocean Surveillance (T-AGOS) vessels.
170-Ton Payload Capacity
Unlike other LCUs, those ordered by the US Navy are being specifically built to have a heavy-lift capability of more than 170 tons.
It should be able to carry approximately 350 warfighters or up to two M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks.
The hull will also be large and strong enough to accommodate eight multi-purpose wheeled vehicles.
According to the company, the US Navy LCU will have a roll-on/roll-off monohull configuration that allows multiple vessels to connect for fast and secure loading and unloading.
Furthermore, the vessel will be able to transit the open ocean with a range of 1,200 nautical miles (2,222 kilometers) and a maximum speed of 11 knots (20 kilometers/12 miles per hour).
Once delivered, the landing craft are expected to support the navy’s amphibious assault ships in carrying out troop and cargo transport from ship to shore, shore to shore, and back to ship.