Austal Joins General Dynamics Bath Iron Works To Develop Focused Mission High-Speed Ship For U.S. Navy

Austal USA, the Mobile, Alabama based subsidiary of world-leading aluminium shipbuilder, Austal Limited, will team with Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, to explore advanced concepts for a Focused Mission High-Speed Ship (FMHSS) for the United States Navy.

Austal USA will play an integral part in the study team as one of six consortia selected from 18 proposals to receive a US$500,000 grant to develop the concept. Led by Bath Iron Works, the team will also include The Boeing Company, British Aerospace Corporation (BAE), Maritime Applied Physics Corporation, CAE Marine Systems and five other General Dynamics business units.

Austal’s Managing Director, Mr Bob McKinnon acknowledged the study as a major development in the medium and long-term prospects for United States military vessels.

“We are delighted to be part of such a strong team but are aware that there is quite a long way to go before a contract is awarded”, Mr McKinnon said. He also confirmed that the large commercial vehicle-passenger ferry market remains subdued.

FMHSS is an integrated surface combatant capability envisioned to operate in littoral (coastal) areas against terrorist threats, high-speed swarm boats, mines and diesel submarines. It may also be called upon to carry logistics supplies or personnel and equipment for Special Operations Forces and the U.S. Marine Corps, acting in a role similar to the Austal built 101 metre theatre support vessel, “WestPac Express” currently contracted to the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa, Japan.

The FMHSS will incorporate state-of-the-art materials, modular mission packages, and a multi-purpose platform design to provide the U.S Navy with a highly flexible concept for future littoral operations. The mission capability of the FMHSS will play a pivotal role in assuring the access for joint and coalition forces into contested coastal regions around the world.

The team has chosen to base its FMHSS hull design on Austal’s advanced hull form technology, developed and designed by Austal’s experienced design team located in Western Australia, to create a highly automated ship capable of speeds in excess of 50 knots.

Austal’s design offers outstanding efficiency and performance in all sea conditions, endurance and reliability for sustained independent operations and a high degree of flexibility/adaptability to meet evolving military requirements through open architecture and modular configuration. The system will enable advanced operational concepts such as those employing high speed, enhanced manoeuvre, distributed forces and reduced signatures as well as the ability to efficiently embark from a broad array of aircraft, amphibious, land and marine vehicles.

The team will develop an integrated system that delivers significantly enhanced capabilities to naval, joint and coalition forces operating within the littorals. In defining system design characteristics, the team will address FMHSS integration with FORCEnet, the information network into which the U.S. Navy will integrate sensors, decision aids and weapons, as well as other joint and coalition information networks.

The spectrum of technologies to be evaluated by the team will include all forms of remotely deployed and operated vehicles, distributed sensors, modular payloads, weapons, communications, command and control and automation systems as well as advanced propulsion technologies and hull construction materials.

The results of this study will assist the U.S. Navy in defining requirements for the rapidly emerging Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program. Between 30 and 60 LCS ships are planned, with construction to commence in 2005. Earlier construction may be required by the U.S. Navy in order to accelerate defence against growing worldwide threats and terrorist operations.