The U.S. Navy has awarded $166 million in additional
advance procurement funding to Northrop Grumman Corporation, providing long-lead materials for San Diego (LPD 22) and Anchorage (LPD
23), the sixth and seventh San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ships.
The funds will be used to purchase major equipment such as the ships' main
engines, diesel generators and other long-lead material like steel plates and
shapes, pipe, cable and other major equipment.
"This funding contract is another modest investment in the most critical
and capable element of the nation's future Expeditionary Strike capability,"
said Philip A. Dur, president, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, the builder of
LPD ships. "The LPD program is critical to our Navy/Marine customer and we
are determined to ensure these warships are delivered to the Fleet as
efficiently and productively as possible."
This contract modification
provides new funding to previously announced
advance procurement contracts for both ships. So far, more than $215 million
has been provided in advance procurement for LPD 22 and approximately
$207 million for LPD 23. Not only will the funding provide equipment and
commodities, but also funds for Raytheon Company, the systems integrator, as
well as funding for planning, material requisitioning and program management
man-hours.
To date, the first five ships awarded in the Navy's anticipated 12-ship
LPD 17 program are under contract to Northrop Grumman. San Antonio (LPD 17),
New Orleans (LPD 18),
Mesa Verde (LPD 19), Green Bay (LPD 20) and New York
(LPD 21) are each in various stages of construction at three Northrop Grumman
locations: New Orleans, and Pascagoula and Gulfport, Miss. The first three
ships have been launched and San Antonio is scheduled for delivery in
mid-2005.
The LPD 17 ship class is 208.4 meters (684 feet) long, 31.9 meters
(105 feet) wide, and will replace the functions of the LPD 4, LSD 36, LKA 113,
and LST 1179 classes of amphibious ships. This new ship class affords the
Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group with the technology and flexibility to
launch and recover amphibious landing craft such as the Landing Craft Air
Cushion (LCAC), operate an array of rotary-wing aircraft, as well as the
ability to carry and launch the U.S. Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting
Vehicle.
Technological and design advances provide enhanced survivability,
state-of-the-art command-and-control capability, modernized weapons stations
and enhanced ergonomics, which greatly improve the quality of life at sea for
the sailors and marines. With these advances, the LPD 17 class is becoming
the most sophisticated and survivable
amphibious ship ever produced, and as
such, offers unparalleled amphibious warfighting capabilities.
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems includes primary operations in Pascagoula
and Gulfport, Miss.; and in New Orleans and Tallulah, La., as well as in a
network of fleet support offices in the U.S. and Japan. Ship Systems is one
of the nation's leading full-service systems companies for the design,
engineering, construction and life-cycle support of major surface ships for
the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and international navies.