Austal USA Starts Construction on Fifth Navy Landing Craft Utility Vessel

[By: Austal USA]

Austal USA celebrated the start of construction on its fifth U.S. Navy Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1700-class vessel, LCU 1714, at its Mobile, Ala. ship manufacturing facility on April 27, 2026. 

This progress highlights continued momentum for the LCU program, a key component of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps’ expeditionary capabilities. Austal USA was awarded a $91.5 million contract in September 2023 for the design and construction of up to 12 LCUs and associated support efforts. Currently, five construction contracts have been awarded to Austal USA.

“Austal USA is proud to continue advancing the LCU program with the start of construction on LCU 1714,” said Bill Bingle, acting vice president of surface ship programs. “This milestone reflects the strength of our serial production approach and the dedication of our workforce to delivering high-quality ships that support critical Navy and Marine Corps missions.”

LCU vessels are deployed from the Navy’s amphibious assault ships and operate across a wide range of missions, transporting Marine Corps vehicles, equipment and personnel from ship to shore and back. These platforms provide significant heavy-lift capability, carrying payloads comparable to multiple C-17 aircraft.

LCU 1710, the first vessel in the program constructed at Austal USA, recently conducted acceptance trials and will be delivered to the Navy soon. The program continues to scale as part of Austal USA’s growing steel shipbuilding portfolio.

The LCU program is one of three ship platforms under serial production at Austal USA. In total, 12 ships are under construction across the company’s programs with three vessels preparing for sea trials. This demonstrates the company’s ability to execute multiple programs simultaneously while maintaining production efficiency.

Austal USA continues to leverage its advanced manufacturing facilities, uniquely supporting both aluminum and steel shipbuilding, along with lean production techniques to meet the Navy’s evolving fleet requirements and deliver ships on schedule.