Sun Herald, Biloxi
Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula awarded $2.4 billion contract that could grow to $3B
By Mary Perez
Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula has been awarded a a $2.4 billion contract modification from the U.S. Navy to build an LHA 9 America-class amphibious assault ship.
Work will begin in December and is expected to be completed by September 2029.
The contract between the Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries includes options that could bring the total value to $3.19 billion and extend the work through March 2031.
The Department of Defense reports that 72% of the project will be completed in Pascagoula.
The $2.414 billion award announced Friday is for detail, design and construction modification to a previously awarded contract.
The large deck of the LHA 9 allows aircraft such as the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and MV-22 Osprey to take off from the surface. These ships also have top-of-the-line medical facilities with full operating and triage facilities, according to a report by Naval News.
“Ingalls’ shipbuilders are ready to build the Navy’s newest LHA,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson. “We understand how important this work is, and consider it an honor to be given the opportunity to deliver this capability to the fleet.”
“This is excellent news for both the fine shipbuilders at Ingalls and the future of our fleet, and most importantly our national security,” said Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Amphibious assault ships provide a critical capability to our Navy and Marines and, they are a vital deterrent against China.”
“The talented shipbuilders at Ingalls continue to make impressive headway in their mission to build the next generation of Navy ships,” said Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee.