Joint Strike Fighter News

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division authenticated the keel on Wednesday for the America-class amphibious ship Fallujah (LHA 9).The ship’s sponsor, Donna Berger, former first lady of the Marine Corps and spouse of Gen. David H. Berger, 38th commandant of the Marine Corps, was in attendance to declare the keel “truly and fairly laid.”During the authentication ceremony, Ingalls welder Seveta Gray welded the initials of the sponsor onto a ceremonial keel plate that will remain with…

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. started fabrication of the U.S. Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship Fallujah (LHA 9) on Monday. The start of fabrication signifies that the first 100 tons of steel have been cut for the ship and that the shipyard is ready to move forward with the construction of the ship.“Our shipbuilders are proud of the work they do for the security of our nation and for our Navy and Marine Corps customers,” said Eugene Miller, Ingalls Shipbuilding LHA program manager.

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding has been awarded a $2.4 billion U.S. Navy fixed-price-incentive contract for the detail design and construction of amphibious assault ship LHA 9. The award includes options, that if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $3.2 billion. Ingalls was awarded the original long-lead-time material contract for the fourth ship in the America (LHA 6) class on April 30, 2020.Construction on LHA 9 is scheduled to begin in December 2022.The America-class is a multi-functional and versatile ship that is capable of operating in a high density…

BAE Systems said Tuesday it has received a $197.4 million contract from the U.S. Navy to drydock and perform maintenance and modernization work aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1). This is the second time in four years that the company has performed significant work on board the Wasp to sustain its warfighting capability.Under the new contract, BAE Systems’ Norfolk, Va. shipyard will begin working aboard the 843-foot-long USS Wasp in February 2021, performing hull, tank and mechanical work.

With an estimated price tag in excess of $13B, nuclear aircraft carriers are one of the biggest ticket items in the U.S. military arsenal. But the floating warship is only as effective as its flight operations, and a new, heavier duty crash and salvage crane is needed to efficiently handle heavier aircraft. Allied Systems won the $70 million contract to deliver up to 37 Crash and Salvage Crane units to the US Navy. Hitesh Patel, VP of Sales and Marketing at Allied Systems, discusses the biggest contract in company history.What…

The U.S. Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship, USS Tripoli (LHA 7), departed from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division Friday, sailing to its homeport in San Diego.Delivered to the Navy in February and officially commissioned last week, USS Tripoli is the U.S. Navy's second America-class amphibious assault ship built by the Pascagoula, Miss. shipyard.“Tripoli sailing away to join the fleet is a proud moment for all of our shipbuilders, industry partners and the hundreds of suppliers that contributed to the production of this remarkable ship…

The U.S. Navy commissioned USS Tripoli (LHA 7) Wednesday without the typical fanfare and traditional public commissioning ceremony due to public health and safety restrictions on large public gatherings amid the conronavirus pandemic.Delivered in February, USS Tripoli is the U.S. Navy's second America-class amphibious assault ship built by Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. The warship was commissioned administratively and transitioned to normal operations…

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the newest America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) to the U.S. Navy on Friday. Tripoli will be commissioned later this year before sailing to its homeport of San Diego.Amphibious assault ships project power and maintain presence by serving as the cornerstone of the amphibious ready group or expeditionary strike group. These ships transport elements of the Marine expeditionary unit or Marine expeditionary brigade with a combination of aircraft and landing craft.

Allied Systems Company has been awarded a $70 million contract to design, test and manufacture up to 37 Crash and Salvage Crane units to the US Navy for use on Aircraft Carriers (CVN) and Landing Helicopter Assault and Dock Vessels (LHA and LHD). “We are a small veteran owned business and are honored and excited to be able to provide critical support equipment for the United States Navy. We are proud to design, test and manufacture the equipment here locally, supporting the local economy, helping create jobs and promoting American made equipment.” –Jeff Rink, President.The units, referred to as Crash Cranes, are mobile cranes that move aircraft with mechanical failures or battle damage out of the way on the flight deck.

The U.S. Navy’s newest America-class amphibious assault ship, the future USS Tripoli (LHA 7), successfully completed builder’s trials, said Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).America’s largest military shipbuilding company said in a press release that the second ship in the America class spent four days at sea in the Gulf of Mexico, testing the ship’s main propulsion, combat and other systems before returning to HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division.Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said: “Congratulations to the Navy and Ingalls team for a solid LHA 7 builder’s trials. We have an excellent leadership team, and they will now be focusing on getting the ship ready for acceptance trials and delivery to the Navy.

The keel laying and authentication ceremony for the America-class amphibious warship USS Bougainville (LHA 8) was held at the Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division (HII),  yesterday (March 14).The ship’s sponsor, Ellyn Dunford, spouse of Gen. Joe Dunford, 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declared the keel "truly and fairly laid" after her initials were welded onto a plate.Traditionally, keel laying marks the first step in ship construction. However, with today’s advanced modular shipbuilding, the keel laying ceremony now recognizes the joining together of a ship’s components and is a major milestone in the ship’s construction.

U.S. shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced its Ingalls Shipbuilding division started building the next America-class amphibious assault ship for the U.S. Navy, on Monday.The official start of fabrication on Bougainville (LHA 8) signifies that the shipyard is ready for sustained production and ready to move forward with the construction of the 257-meter warship.“The start of Bougainville, our 16th large-deck amphib, allows us to continue the serial production of these great ships,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias.

A new agreement between BAE Systems Australia and Flinders University will see students and industry working together to develop new ways to provide Australia’s defence force with the evolving capability it needs and train the shipbuilding workforce of the future. BAE Systems is one of three companies bidding to build nine Anti-Submarine Warships for the Royal Australian Navy. The company is proposing an Australian variant of the Global Combat Ship currently being manufactured in the UK for the Royal Navy. Flinders University will receive access to BAE Systems’ digital shipbuilding tools, processes and methodologies and turn these into development programs to train the people who will build the Future Frigates and integrate the ships’ complex operating systems…

As Congress wrestles with the budget, there is at least a bipartisan consensus that defense spending should grow, and that includes growing the Navy’s fleet. The current goal is 355 ships, an admirable goal, but an objective that faces many cost hurdles. The surface fleet (which excludes submarines and aircraft carriers) needs to grow in capability and capacity. The numbers of ships being procured or envisions would increase as the total n umber of ships increases, but the number in this story represents current program status.

The US Navy will christen its newest America-class amphibious assault ship, the future USS Tripoli (LHA 7), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony, Sept. 16, in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Thomas Dee, performing the duties of the Under Secretary of the Navy, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Lynne Mabus, the wife of the 75th Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Ray Mabus, will serve as the ship's sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted by Mrs. Mabus breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to formally christen the ship, a time-honored Navy tradition. "When USS Tripoli, the newest America-class amphibious assault ship, joins the fleet, we'll be a stronger, more flexible, and better Navy and Marine Corps team," Dee said.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) said its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded a $3 billion contract for the detail design and construction of the new U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship Bougainville (LHA 8). Ingalls was awarded the original long-lead material contract for the third ship in the America (LHA 6) class on June 30, 2016. “Our shipbuilders do an outstanding job building large-deck amphibious warships,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said. Construction is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2018, and delivery is expected in 2024.

The U.S. Navy has a balanced fleet, but it wants to grow bigger and better. Will the budget allow both? Maritime Reporter's March 2017 cover story on the U.S. Navy was all about the numbers. There exists several plans to grow the fleet beyond the current number of 308 ships, the Mitre recommendation of 414 ships, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment 340-ship proposal, and the Navy’s decision to grow the fleet to 355 ships, and the Trump administration’s 350. With so many numbers being bandied about, there are even more suggestions on how to get there.

USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Kidd (DDG 100) and USS Shoup (DDG 86) departed their homeports of Naval Base Kitsap and Naval Station Everett, respectively, for a regularly scheduled deployment. This is a previously planned, routine deployment and is not in response to any specific incident or regional event. This deployment is an example of the U.S. Navy's routine presence in waters around the globe displaying our commitment to stability, regional cooperation and economic prosperity for all nations. "This deployment is the culmination of months of intensive training and preparations," said Rear Adm. Bill Byrne Jr., commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11. "The Nimitz Strike Group stands ready to respond to a wide variety of contingencies, be that a humanitarian disaster or a regional incident.

The Royal Navy sent six Sailors, from Navy Command Headquarters in Portsmouth, England, to integrate into Wasp’s flight deck operations to prepare them for their upcoming Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Illustrious was the last carrier in British service before being decommissioned in 2014 and will soon be replaced by its advanced counterparts HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. The Royal Navy stopped working with fixed wing aircraft in 2010, so the reintroduction of carriers in the British Fleet requires personnel who can safely run a flight deck. The two new carriers are expected to operate the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, with flight trials expecting to start in 2018.

The second MT30 Gas Turbine Alternator (GTA) has been installed into the U.K. Royal Navy’s latest aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, at Rosyth, the Aircraft Carrier Alliance reported. ‪Generating 36 megawatts (around 50,000 horsepower), the power-dense Rolls-Royce MT30 marine gas turbine is key for naval ships where high power occupying minimum space is essential.‬ Each 120-metric-ton GTA package consists of a GE supplied alternator coupled to a Rolls-Royce supplied MT30 Gas Turbine contained within an enclosure.

The final sections of the second Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier produced by Cammell Laird arrived at Babcock Rosyth Facilities in Fife on Thursday, September 3, following their voyage from Birkenhead. Center Block 4 is the longest of the upper sections of hull of HMS Prince of Wales, the second of two new aircraft carriers being constructed by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance. Comprised in two parts (rings C and D), it contains a mixture of aviation workshops, mission system compartments and training rooms.

U.K. Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has produced power from her onboard diesel generators (DGs) for the first time, marking a significant stage in the program. Firing up the diesel generators for the first time in Rosyth was Philip Dunne, Minister of State for Defense Procurement, who took part in a short ceremony and was accompanied by Rear Admiral Henry Parker representing the Ministry of Defense on the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA), and Sir Peter Gershon, the Independent Chairman of the ACA.

The Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA), which is building HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales in shipyards across the U.K., has opened a visitor center in Rosyth Dockyard. The facility, which has a view of both HMS Queen Elizabeth across the non-tidal basin and the Forth bridges behind it, has been created to allow small groups of visitors to learn more about the Alliance and the construction of the two largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy. Featuring an upstairs…