Pentagon Awards Contracts Worth Over $1.1B For Two Littoral Combat Ships

The Pentagon has awarded multiple contracts worth more than $1.1 billion to build two littoral combat ships to shipbuilders – Austal USA and Lockheed Martin.

Austal USA and Lockheed Martin have each been awarded a $584 million contract, the US Department of defense said on Friday.

Austal USA will perform and oversee all necessary design, planning, construction and test and trials activities in support of delivery of the ship to the US Navy, the release states.

The awarded contract to Lockheed Martin includes associated cost-plus-fixed-fee LCS class services and related material, and firm-fixed-price integrated data environment support.  The contract also includes options for the construction of additional LCS, class services, and post-delivery availability support, the statement says.

“The Navy expects to release a competitive solicitation(s) for additional LCS class ships in future years, and therefore the specific contract award amount for these ships is considered source selection sensitive information (see 41 U.S. Code 2101, et seq., Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101 and FAR 3.104) and will not be made public at this time,” the releases added.

Austal will build the Independence version of the LCS which is smaller, lighter and faster, according to published reports. Lockheed Martin will construct the Freedom variant, a larger version. The two LCS warships are expected to be delivered to the Navy in October 2023.