The U.S. Navy has awarded three competitive prototype agreements to shipyards in Texas and Alabama as part of an effort to expand production of its next-generation landing craft.
One of the agreements was awarded to Conrad Shipyard, LLC, in Orange. The other two went to Master Boat Builders, Inc., of Coden, Alabama, and Saronic Technologies of Brownsville, Texas. The total project is estimated at $280 million dollars.
The companies will build prototype vessels for the Navy’s Landing Craft, Utility, or LCU 1700, program.
William F. Mahan, performing the duties of Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, said the decision to use three shipyards will strengthen the nation’s shipbuilding capacity.
“By selecting three distinct shipyards, the Navy is expanding its shipbuilding industrial base capacity and building a resilient ‘second source’ of supply for landing craft,” Mahan said in a statement. “Other Transaction prototype authority allows the Navy to move at the speed of relevance.”
The agreements were funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and use prototype authorities under federal law to speed up construction, test production methods and establish additional sources for building the vessels.
Under the agreements, each shipyard will build two or three prototype landing craft while refining its manufacturing plans for future high-rate production. The Navy says the initial construction agreements are worth a combined $280.5 million.
The LCU 1700 is being developed to replace the Navy’s aging LCU 1610-class landing craft, which have been in service for an average of more than 50 years.
The new vessels are designed to provide greater reliability, increased payload capacity and longer operational range, while remaining compatible with the Navy’s amphibious warfare ships.
Deliveries from the three shipyards are scheduled to begin in late 2028 and continue through 2029.
The Navy took delivery of its first LCU 1700-class vessel, LCU 1710, from Austal USA in August.
The Navy says the new prototype agreements are intended to create a multi-source industrial base for the LCU 1700 program and introduce modern construction techniques at all three shipyards.
By having the shipyards build actual prototypes, Navy officials say they can validate the technical plans and identify potential production issues before moving into full-scale construction.
(photo courtesy of Austal)
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