U.S. Marines Want Competition for Next Amphibious Ship

Amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset

The U.S. Marine Corps will insist on competition for the next U.S. amphibious warship despite a decision last year to base the ship on the LPD-17 ship designed by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc, Major General Robert Walsh said on Tuesday.

Walsh, who is director of the U.S. Marine Corps' Expeditionary Warfare Division, said the U.S. military owned the design for the LPD-17 class of ships and would launch a competition for the new warship program known as LX (R).

"Competition drives down cost," Walsh said after a speech at the annual symposium of the Surface Navy Association. He said competition was also one of the key goals of the Pentagon's Better Buying Power initiative to improve arms acquisitions.

Navy officials had no immediate comment on the expected terms of the competition, which are likely to emerge after the release of the fiscal 2016 budget request.

Huntington Ingalls and General Dynamics Corp are expected to compete to build the ships that would be used to transport Marines to the battlefield. It was not immediately clear which other firms would compete.

The Navy plans to buy a total of 11 new amphibious ships under the LX (R) program, with a goal of procuring the first of the new ships in fiscal 2020.

Beci Brenton, spokeswoman for Huntington Ingalls, said the company applauded the Navy's decision to select the LPD hull form as the basis for LX(R), and said it would reduce costs and risks for the Navy and the shipbuilder.

"With regards to competition, this really is a Navy decision," she said.

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LPD 17 San Antonio class amphibious transport docks provide the Navy and Marine Corps with a modern amphibious platform that has the ability to embark, transport and land elements of a Marine Expeditionary Unit and Brigade. These ships perform a variety of expeditionary warfare missions and are designed to operate independently or as part of Amphibious Task Force (ATF), Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG), Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) or Joint Task Force (JTF).

Because the principal mission of LPD 17 San Antonio class ships is to deploy combat and support elements, these ships have been enhanced with additional lift capability. Each LPD 17 class ship encompasses more than 23,000 square feet of vehicle storage space, more than double that of the ships it replaces. Vehicle storage space is provided through a well deck design which allows for the transportation of landing craft air cushioned (LCAC) vehicles or conventional landing craft. This capability is enhanced by the incorporation of a flight deck and hangar that accommodates both CH-46 helicopters and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

In an effort to reduce vulnerability, LPD 17 class ships are engineered with a streamlined topside design that reduces the ship’s appearance on radars. Combining this improvement with state-of-the-art command and control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities provides the class with 21st century survivability features.

With a maximum speed in excess of 22 kts and total displacement of 24,900 tons, the San Antonio class is powered by four turbocharged diesel engines. The ship is operated by a crew of 381 with a capability to transport a landing force of up to 800 Marines.

To date, LPDs 17 – 25 have been delivered. The future USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26), and future USS Portland (LPD 27) are under construction at HII.