Austal Delivers Littoral Combat Ship 6 to U.S. Navy

Austal Limited (Austal) (ASX:ASB) is pleased to announce it has successfully delivered Littoral Combat Ship 6 (LCS 6), the future USS Jackson, to the U.S. Navy.

USS Jackson is the first ship in its class built by Austal as prime contractor at its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, under a 10 vessel, US$3.5 billion contract the U.S. Navy awarded to Austal in 2010.

Austal Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bellamy said the delivery is testament to the dedication and skill of our workforce.

“Delivering the third ship of its class and the first as prime contractor is a significant milestone in the growth of the LCS program and for Austal,” Mr Bellamy said.

“Our workforce continues to demonstrate superior design, construction and execution building the Littoral Combat Ship. The program is well positioned for a smooth transition from LCS to frigate.”

Six additional Independence-variant LCS are at various stages of construction at Austal’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. Montgomery (LCS 8) is preparing for sea trials later this year while Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) was recently christened. Omaha (LCS 12) is preparing for launch in CY2015 and final assembly is well underway on Manchester (LCS 14). Modules for Tulsa (LCS 16) and Charleston (LCS 18) are both under construction. The first cut for Cincinnati (LCS 20) is slated for later this year.

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About Austal

Austal is a global defence prime contractor and a designer and manufacturer of defence 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.

Ships

Defence vessels designed and built by Austal include multi-mission combatants, such as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) for the United States Navy and military high speed vessels for transport and humanitarian relief, such as the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) for the United States Navy and High Speed Support Vessel (HSSV) for the Royal Navy of Oman. Austal also designs, constructs, integrates and maintains an extensive range of patrol and auxiliary vessels for government agencies globally, including the Cape Class Patrol Boat Program for Australian Customs and Border Protection. Defence vessels are designed and constructed in Mobile, Alabama and in Henderson, Western Australia.

Austal has been at the forefront of the high speed ferry market since the early days of the industry. Our market leading designs of high performance aluminium vessels have long been at the heart of Austal’s research and development. Today, commercial ship construction is centred on our shipyard in Balamban, Philippines.

Systems

Austal has expertise in integrating complex systems into its ships, including ride control, ship management, and communication, sensors and weapon systems.

Support

Austal provides a wide range of support services, including through life support, integrated logistics support, vessel sustainment and systems support. These services are delivered through our global support network in the USA, Australia, Asia and the Middle East together with partner shipyards worldwide.