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3 New Shipyards Tapped to Build LCU-1700s in $280M Deal​

Three new shipyards have been tapped to construct seven Landing Craft Utility landing vessels as part of an overall $280 million deal to expand the production of the heavy-lift amphibious connector, the Navy announced Tuesday.

Conrad Shipyard, LLC of Orange, Texas, Master Boat Builders, Inc. of Coden, Ala., and Saronic Technologies of Brownsville, Texas, were all selected to build the LCUs, according to the Navy announcement. According to the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget documents, the service intends for the LCUs to average $25 million apiece. The Navy did not break out the awards by shipyard, but the average price per hull was around $40 million.

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  • The Trump administration has approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, along with engines and other parts.
  • The deal comes as Iran-backed Houthis escalate attacks on Saudi Arabia and seek control of the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
  • Congress has 30 days to scrutinize deal, with lawmakers raising concerns over the potential transfer of sensitive U.S. military technology and Riyadh’s ties to China.
 

The New Federation of American Shipyards​

Pressure to Deliver Ships Faster Pushes U.S. Naval Yards Toward Distributed Shipbuilding

MOBILE, Ala. —Three decks high and shrouded in a plastic, air-conditioned barrier, some of the most important spaces of a pair of Virginia-class attack boats are taking shape on the shores of the Mobile River — 1,200 miles from the rest of the submarine.

Already painted in the Navy’s calming shade of seafoam green, the control room modules are being outfitted with hatches, chairs, terminals, doors, desks, screens, outlets, fixtures, lightbulbs and a chart table before getting shrink-wrapped and barged up the East Coast to General Dynamics Electric Boat’s facility in Rhode Island. Then, the modules will be slid into the pressure hulls of Block V Virginia-class boats Silversides (SSGN-807) and John H. Dalton (SSGN-808) before the sections are welded shut to make the submarines whole.

A short walk from the modules on Pinto Island in Mobile Bay, Austal is putting the finishing touches on the 400,000-square-foot Module Manufacturing Facility 3. The $450 million Navy-funded MMF 3 promises to deliver an annual output of 1 million labor hours by 2027 devoted to building four types of modules for the Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines, Austal officials told USNI News.

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