Naval Sea Systems command has awarded Austal USA a $248.8 million contract for work on two Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF), formerly known as the Joint High Speed Vessel, according to Pentagon contract announcement issued last week.
The award finalizes the production funding of the two EPFs beyond the Navy’s initial order of ten of the aluminum catamarans. The modification is part of a $53.4 million contract Austal USA was awarded for the 11th EPF last year. In May, the company was awarded an $18.5 million contract for the 12th EPF.
In 2008 the Mobile, Ala. shipyard won a $1.6 billion block buy for the first ten ships of the class. As part of last year’s omnibus funding bill, Congress inserted funds for two more hulls.
In addition to the contract, Austal USA also launched its eighth EPF hull, Yuma (EPF-8) on Saturday.
“With Yuma in the water, we can begin working with our shipbuilders on the final outfitting for the ship,” said Capt. Henry Stevens, Strategic Theater and Sealift Program Manager, Program Executive Office, Ships in a Minday NAVSEA statement. “This milestone brings us a step closer to activating the ship systems and getting her out to sea for trials.”
The EPF class is based on based on Australian parent company Austal’s high speed ferry designed and serves as an intra-theater transport for the Navy, Army and Marine Corps.
The following is the Sept. 15 contract announcement.
Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama, is being awarded a $248,898,142 fixed-price, incentive firm target modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2217 to definitize the long lead time material of the undefinitized contract action, and to award the procurement of the detail design and construction of the 11th and 12th Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) vessels (formerly Joint High Speed Vessel). The EPF vessels will provide high-speed, shallow-draft transportation capability to support the intra-theater maneuver of personnel, supplies, and equipment for the Navy, Marine Corps and Army. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama (59 percent); Novi, Michigan (8 percent); Fairfax, Virginia (7 percent); Houston, Texas (3 percent); Warminster, Pennsylvania (3 percent); Chesapeake, Virginia (2 percent); Gulfport, Mississippi (2 percent); Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2 percent); overseas (4 percent); and various places below one percent (10 percent), and is expected to complete by March 2020. Fiscal 2015 and 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $268,418,939 (which includes the definitized long lead time material of the undefinitized contract action) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.