Austal Delivers Littoral Combat Ship 10 to US Navy
December 26, 2016

Austal Limited (Austal) (ASX:ASB) is pleased to announce the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) has been delivered to the United States Navy (USN) during a ceremony held aboard the ship at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama.

The futureUSS Gabrielle Giffords is the fifth Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) delivered to the USN since 2009 and the fourth naval vessel delivered to the USN by Austal USA in 2016; including 2 x Littoral Combat Ships (LCS 8 and 10) and 2 x Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF 6 and 7).

Designed in Australia by the team bidding for the Commonwealth of Australia’s Offshore Patrol Vessel (SEA1180) program, the 127 metre frigate-sized Littoral Combat Ships are constructed in Mobile, Alabama utilising Austal’s Module Manufacturing Facility (MMF), which offers production-line efficiencies and industry leading productivity.

Announcing the delivery, Austal Chief Executive Officer David Singleton said: “Gabrielle Giffords joins Independence, Coronado, Jackson and Montgomery as the fifth Littoral Combat Ship Austal USA has delivered to the US Navy. This vessel further demonstrates our capability to successfully deliver large, complex naval programs and reinforces our ability to transition an innovative, effective design not just across shipyards but continents.

“The Independence-variant LCS platform has gone from strength to strength, as the first LCS variant to be fitted with a Harpoon Anti-ship Missile System and the first US Navy class of vessel to successfully pass shock testing since 2008,” Singleton added.

Six additional Independence-variant LCS are under construction at Austal USA under an 11 ship contract worth approximately US$4 billion. The future USS Omaha (LCS 12) and Manchester (LCS 14) are preparing for sea-trials, Tulsa (LCS 16) and Charleston (LCS 18) are in Assembly and modules for Cincinnati (LCS 20) and Kansas City (LCS 22) are underway in the MMF. Austal delivered USS Jackson (LCS 6) in August 2015 and USS Montgomery (LCS in June 2016.