Austal's Littoral Combat Ship 6 Completes Acceptance Trials

Austal Limited (Austal) (ASX:ASB) is pleased to announce that Littoral Combat Ship 6 (LCS 6), the future USS Jackson, has successfully completed US Navy acceptance trials.

Littoral Combat Ship 6

The trials, the last significant milestone before delivery, were undertaken in the Gulf of Mexico and involved comprehensive testing of the vessel’s 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

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 focussed-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.