Ingalls Shipbuilding obtains LHA 9 modification

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has announced on 19 April that its shipbuilding division signed a contract modification from the USN for the America-class amphibious assault ship LHA 9.

The $107 million modification includes long-lead-time material and advance procurement activities.

Ingalls Shipbuilding president Kari Wilkinson stated that the amphibious warship production line is a ‘critical component’ of the US defence industrial base.

The shipyard delivered its first amphibious assault ship in 1966 and most recently delivered its second America-class amphibious assault ship, USS Tripoli, in 2020.

The USN has received two America-class vessels to date with nine more on order, Shephard Defence Insight notes.

Amphibious warships are designed to support the USMC tenets of Operational Maneuver From the Sea (OMFTS) and Ship to Objective Maneuver (STOM).

LHAs can support VTOL, STOL and STOVL aircraft operations, as well as tiltrotor and rotary-wing aircraft. 

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LHA Replacement Programme [USN]

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America Class