Ingalls Shipbuilding has a $76-million fixed-price contract from the U.S. Coast Guard in advance of construction for the sixth National Security Cutter (NSC). The overall project is to build delivery of a new large maritime security cutter, a 418-ft ship powered by a gas turbine engine with two auxiliary diesel engines. The ship will be built at Ingalls’ shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.
NSCs are 418-ft-long vessels with a 54-ft beam and displace 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, and are capable of voyages up 12,000 nautical miles lasting up to 60 days. It also has an aft launch/recovery area for two rigid-hull inflatable boats and a flight deck that accommodates rotary-wing aircraft.
The NSC is the new flagship of the Coast Guard's cutter fleet, and is described as “the largest and most technologically advanced class of cutter in the U.S. Coast Guard, with capabilities for homeland security, law enforcement, marine safety, environmental protection, and national defense. Two ships are already in service, and a third was commissioned recently. The fourth ship is under construction and construction will begin later this year for the fifth ship.
The current contract authorizes Ingalls to purchase long lead-time materials for the construction, including steel, major castings, main propulsion systems, generators, and electrical switchboards. Ingalls builds the NSC hulls and mechanical and electrical systems, while Lockheed Martin builds and integrates the ships’ command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities.
The coming project is structured so that Ingalls will be assigned a second-phase contract at a later date, and that will bring the overall value to $88 million.
"This award demonstrates the Coast Guard's ongoing commitment to the National Security Cutter program and continued confidence in our shipbuilders," stated Mike Duthu, Ingalls’ program manager for Coast Guard programs. "This procurement contract enables us to focus on effective and efficient supply-chain management so we can secure the best price for equipment and materials, while also meeting our schedule commitments with our U.S. Coast Guard customer."
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries that designs and builds nuclear and non-nuclear ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, and provides after-market services for military ships around the globe.
