Article Posted on : - May 09, 2016

NEW DELHI (BNS): The US Navy has awarded Austal Limited a US$11,794,802 contract to provide engineering and management services for the Littoral Combat Ship Montgomery (LCS 8).

The cost-plus-award-fee order is against the previously awarded Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) N00024-15-G-2304 for the Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship programme.

Austal will provide design, planning, and material support services for the vessel, including programme management, advance planning, engineering, design, material kitting, liaison, and scheduling.

Austal has delivered three Independence-variant LCS to the US Navy; two as subcontractor (LCS 2 and LCS 4) and one as prime contractor (LCS 6) under a separate 10 vessel, US$3.5 billion contract awarded by the US Navy in 2010. The programme grew to 13 vessels when the US Navy funded an additional ship, LCS 26, to Austal in April 2016.

Austal has seven LCS under construction at its US shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, with Montgomery (LCS 8) scheduled for delivery later in the year.

Austal is constructing ten 103-metre Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) vessels under a $1.6 billion contract from the US Navy, with six already delivered and the remaining vessels under construction at Austal's US shipyard, a Company statement said.