US Coast Guard enhances Arctic protection with a new Fast Response Cutter
After commissioning, FRC Frederick Mann will operate in Alaska and perform multiple missions.
USS Independence at sea in April 2019. (Photo: USN/Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon Renfroe)
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.
After commissioning, FRC Frederick Mann will operate in Alaska and perform multiple missions.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) created new units, including five Programme Executive Offices (PEOs), to facilitate and speed up the procurement of new capabilities.
The US Navy does not have a precise date for the award of the procurement contract for the third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer despite having the funds to advance with the programme in FY2025.
The US Navy (USN) is currently reassessing its acquisition efforts and seeking ways to reduce the multiple delays across the shipbuilding initiatives.
The Royal Australian Navy has finally commissioned the first Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel – more than three years behind schedule – highlighting the programme’s delays, design compromises and ongoing industrial restructuring.
The Italian Navy is being refreshed with two new ships ordered, while in the past six months steel was cut for a new frigate, an enhanced frigate was delivered and Horizon-class frigates passed a design review.