Austal USA has received a $91 million contract to build three landing craft for the U.S. Navy, adding to a catalog of work lined up for the shipbuilder’s new steel line.

The Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1700 is an open, 139-foot-long vessel with a front ramp that allows it to drop troops and vehicles onto beaches. Swiftships LLC, a Louisiana-based yard, received a contract to build the first of the class in 2018, and since then the Navy has exercised options for Swiftships to build more. In August 2022, Swiftships President Jeff LeLeux said the prototype was nearing completion and 10 LCUs were under construction.

The new contact makes Austal the second yard building LCU 1700s. The $92 million contract covers three ships. It includes options for an additional nine ships and “associated support efforts,” according to Austal.

“Austal USA is honored to be able to build this important connector for the U.S. Navy,” said Dave Growden, vice president of new construction projects at Austal USA. “We recognize the critical role this platform plays in supporting expeditionary operations for the Navy and Marine Corps and are looking forward to continuing to deliver ships and boats to our customers on time and on budget.”

Industry reports indicate the Navy wants more than 30 of the ships. A program summary defines the LCUs as near-shore workhorses that “are carried aboard amphibious assault ships to the objective area and used across a range of military operations to deliver vehicles, personnel and cargo from sea-to-shore and shore-to-shore.”

The deal adds another vessel to the growing line of work booked for Austal’s new steel line. Contracts in hand include orders for T-ATS Navy salvage ships, Navy T-AGOS surveillance ships and the U.S. Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter. Company leaders have said they expect to add about 2,000 jobs in the next couple of years.

The LCU 1700 isn’t the only landing craft in Austal’s sights. For several years, Austal has been one of the competitors doing preliminary design work on a class that formerly was known as the Light Amphibious Warship, and which since has been renamed the Landing Ship Medium (LSM). The LSM is envisioned as being substantially larger: A vessel up to 400 feet long that doesn’t need to be carried into a contested area by a bigger ship, but which can still drop troops and vehicles directly onto beaches.

According to defense industry reports, the Navy doesn’t expect to award the first LCM contract until fiscal year 2025.

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