Fixed Price Contract Valued at $94 Million
On 29 March Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced it has received a US$94 million fixed price advance procurement contract from the US Coast Guard (USCG) to purchase long-lead items for a 10th National Security Cutter (NSC). The contract funds will be used to purchase major components such as steel and major castings, the main propulsion systems, generators and electrical switchboards.
Ingalls has delivered six LEGEND-class NSCs to replace the 12 HAMILTON-class high-endurance cutters that entered service in the 1960s. Ingalls’ seventh NSC, KIMBALL (WMSL 756), is scheduled to be delivered to the Coast Guard later this year; MIDGETT (WMSL 757), is destined to start builder’s trials in the fourth quarter; and STONE (WMSL 758) is scheduled to launch this summer. NSCs are 418ft long, have a beam of 54ft and displace 4,500t with a full load. They have a top speed of 28kts, a range of 12,000mi, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 120.
The LEGEND-class NSC is capable of meeting all maritime security mission needs required of the high-endurance cutter. It includes an aft launch and recovery area for two rigid hull inflatable boats and a flight deck to accommodate a range of manned and unmanned rotary wing aircraft. It is the largest and most technologically advanced class of cutter in USCG service, with robust capabilities for maritime homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection and national defence missions. This class of cutters plays an important role in enhancing the Coast Guard’s operational readiness, capacity and effectiveness at a time when the demand for their services has never been greater.
“National Security Cutters continue to be extremely important assets for the coastal defence of our homeland,” commented Ingalls Shipbuilding President, Brian Cuccias. “These ships are enabling the Coast Guard’s missions in not only defending our shores, but also in the detection and interdiction of drugs and other contraband. Our shipbuilders in Mississippi look forward to continuing this hot production line and producing additional high-quality, state-of-the-art cutters for the men and women of the Coast Guard.”
