U.S. Navy Awards Contract To Build Multiple Landing Craft Utility Vessels

Saronic Technologies has won a U.S. Navy contract to build multiple Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels.

The contract is a firm fixed-price agreement awarded under an Other Transaction Authority (OTA). It will be the first vessel built at Saronic’s planned Port Alpha shipyard in Brownsville, Texas.

Saronic plans to start building the LCUs in 2028. The first vessels are expected to be delivered in 2029.

LCUs are used to move troops, vehicles and cargo from ships to shore. They can reach beaches and other shorelines where there is no port or pier.

The vessels can carry up to 170 tons and have a range of about 1,200 nautical miles. They can move cargo from amphibious ships across open water and also carry out shore-to-shore trips.

The Navy and Marine Corps are looking for more LCUs as the older vessels are replaced. Saronic will build multiple vessels under the Navy’s current programme of record.

The contract takes Saronic into manned naval shipbuilding. The company has so far focused mainly on autonomous surface vessels.

Saronic said the OTA arrangement allowed the Navy to move quickly and put the company under contract.

Mavrookas said Port Alpha was designed to build large autonomous surface vessels as well as manned ships.

The shipyard is also intended to support the Navy’s hybrid fleet plans and add capacity to the U.S. maritime industrial base.

The LCU project will be one of the first builds at the new shipyard. Saronic plans to open Port Alpha in Brownsville in 2028.

The company has said the shipyard will initially be able to build vessels of up to 850 feet. It could eventually handle ships as long as 1,200 feet.

Port Alpha is planned for both crewed and autonomous vessels. Saronic has said it could eventually create up to 10,000 jobs at the facility.

The shipyard will use robotics, software and advanced manufacturing along with traditional shipbuilding methods.

The LCU contract will give the facility its first production work with a manned naval vessel.

References: benzinga, oceannews