US Navy funds Austal construction of new LCS

The US Navy has funded the construction of two Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), LCS 22 and LCS 24, by Austal. The company announced the funding on 2 April.

The two vessels will be the ninth and tenth Independence-class LCS built by Austal. The company has a ten-vessel contract with the navy. The funding of the two ships adds around $691 million to its order book.

In addition to funding the construction of the two LCS under contract, the navy also included an option to construct the additional vessel LCS 26. This option may be exercised in 2016, and it would bring the total number of Independence-class LCS constructed by Austal to 13, 11 of which saw Austal act as prime contractor and two as a subcontractor.

Austal currently has seven LCS under various construction stages, including the USS Jackson (LCS 6), which has begun sea trials and is expected to be delivered by around mid-2015, and the USS Montgomery (LCS 8), which is expected to be delivered by the end of the year.