Austal Limited (Austal) is pleased to announce that Littoral Combat Ship 6 (LCS 6), the future USS Jackson, has successfully completed US Navy acceptance trials.
The trials, the last significant milestone before delivery, were undertaken in the Gulf of Mexico and involved comprehensive testing of the vessels major systems and equipment by the US Navy.
Austal Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bellamy said it was pleasing that acceptance trials on LCS 6 had been successfully completed.
The LCS program is maturing into an efficient phase of construction. Completion of our first Acceptance Trial on LCS 6 as the prime contractor is a significant and important milestone for Austal. This program is steadily gaining momentum heading towards a smooth transition from LCS to frigate, Mr Bellamy said.
After delivery of LCS 6, Austal will deliver a further nine Littoral Combat Ships from its shipyard at Mobile, Alabama, under a 10-ship, US$3.5 billion block-buy contract from the US Navy. Of those, Montgomery (LCS 8) is preparing for trials and delivery later this year. Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) was recently christened. Final assembly is well underway on Omaha (LCS 12) and Manchester (LCS 14). Modules for Tulsa (LCS 16) and Charleston (LCS 18) are under construction in Austal's module manufacturing facility.
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About Austal and General Dynamics Mission Systems
Austal, as prime contractor, is teamed with General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) for the Independence-variant LCS program. General Dynamics is the ship systems integrator, responsible for the design, integration and testing of the navigation, C4I, and aviation systems. Learn more here
Austal is a global defense prime contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defense and commercial ships. For more than 25 years Austal has been a leader in the design, construction and maintenance of revolutionary ships for Governments, Navies and Ferry operators around the world. More than 250 vessels have been delivered in that time.
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Austal Media Contact: uspress@austalusa.com