The US Navy has placed an order for two more Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1700-class units with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Austal USA.
The service initially tasked the supplier to produce a detailed design for the 1700 variant in March 2018, after which the Navy ordered three units in September last year, with an option for nine more.
This order comes under a contract modification worth $55m, while the cumulative value of the programme for up to 12 vessels comes to $379.7m.
The Navy intends to replace its 32 ageing LCU 1610 units with the latest LCU 1700 fleet.
Austal CEO Paddy Gregg said the modification confirms Austal USA’s successful start to construction of the first LCU vessel for the US Navy and again highlights the steel shipbuilding capability of Austal’s facility in Mobile, Alabama, where the landing craft will be constructed.
LCU 1700-class features
Austal’s new generation LCU can be deployed alongside the US Navy’s amphibious assault ships such as the Wasp-class, supporting a wide range of military operations including the transportation of tracked and wheeled vehicles, troops and cargo from ship to shore, shore to shore, and back to the ship.
These steel-hulled vessels incorporate advanced 3D engineering to reduce weight and increase performance. At full load, the vessels can displace approximately 428 long tonnes. They have a length of 139ft, a beam of 31ft and a draft of 5.3ft. The vessels can maintain a speed of 11 knots and have a range of 1,200 nautical miles at 8kt.
Austal designed the 1700-class to transport military loads such as two M1A1 tanks, 350 troops, 400 people or 170 short tonnes of cargo, enhancing the operational capabilities of marine air-ground task forces and marine expeditionary units.
The vessels have a roll-on/roll-off monohull configuration with hydraulically controlled bow and stern ramps that allow multiple vessels to connect and form a causeway for fast and secure unloading and loading.
Austal USA designed the new class to be transported within, and load/unload from, the well decks of amphibious assault ships, carrying loads up to 3.5m high, above the vessel’s vehicle deck.
