The Navy wants a Louisiana shipyard to build the first hull for the Landing Ship Medium program as part of a plan to find an off-the-shelf design to support the Marine Corps’ new island-hopping regiments, a Navy official told USNI News. The Navy also wants the data rights for a Dutch tank landing ship used by international navies.
On April 7, Naval Sea Systems Command issued a pre-solicitation to Bollinger Lockport Shipbuilding ahead of a sole-source award for a single hull based on the Israeli Logistics Support Vessel (ILSV) under a provision included in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. Language in the bill allows the Navy, “to exempt the contract for the lead ship of the LSM program “from full an open competition if such ship is a commercial or non-developmental item,” according to the announcement. NAVSEA issued a second notice to secure the technical data package.
Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding, originally VT Halter Marine, delivered two ILSVs for the Israeli Navy based on the U.S. Army’s legacy 4,200-ton Frank S. Besson LSV design. Using the authority from the NDAA language, the Navy is moving out on a sole-source bid on the first hull, a Navy official told USNI News Thursday.
The spokesman confirmed to USNI News the ship will be named for Marine Corps Maj. Megan McClung as announced by former Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro in January.
“Bollinger Shipyards is honored by the Navy’s intent to contract with us for the first hull of the Medium Landing Ship,” Bollinger CEO Ben Bordelon told USNI News in a Thursday statement.
“This opportunity builds on years of investment, innovation and engineering rigor behind our proven ILSV design. We believe the LSM will play a vital role in supporting distributed maritime operations and the evolving needs of the fleet, and we’re proud to stand ready to deliver a capable and mission-flexible platform for the Navy and Marine Corps.”
Earlier this month, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition Brett Seidle issued a memo to purchase the ILSV variant for the Navy as part of the LSM Block I program, a service spokesperson told USNI News Thursday. NAVSEA also issued a notice it intended to buy the technical data package for the ISLV for potential manufacture in other yards, and so the service could create a maintenance plan, the spokesperson said.
It’s unclear the timing or cost of the intended contract for the future USS McClung. Currently, Bollinger Lockport builds the Fast Response cutter for the Coast Guard and mine countermeasures unmanned surface vehicles for the Navy.
Additionally, Seidle directed the Navy to secure the technical data package for the Dutch shipbuilder Damen’s LST-100 tank landing ship, and NAVSEA issued the notice on April 8. The LST-100 is in wide use around the world and most recently selected for Australian Defense Force’s Landing Craft Heavy and will be built by Austal in Western Australia, the ADF announced late last year.
The LST-100 displaces about 4,000-tons with a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles with a top speed of about 15 knots.
The original LSM program’s request for proposal was withdrawn last year when the bids came back higher than the Navy expected. The Navy was estimated the LSM should $100 to $150 million a ship, while the Congressional Budget Office estimated the price was closer to $340 to $430 million.
“We put it out for bid and it came back with a much higher price tag,” former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition Nickolas Guertin said in December.
“We simply weren’t able to pull it off. So we had to pull that solicitation back and drop back and punt.”
The new notices from NAVSEA are in line with comments the Marines told USNI News late last year on the Navy’s goal of buying a “non-developmental” vessel for Block I program.
“The Marine Corps and Navy are currently working to create an acquisition way ahead for LSM Block I that includes a schedule, cost estimate, and detailed requirements,” Lt. Col. Eric Flanagan told USNI News in December. “Affordability and delivery schedule are key factors in pursuing littoral maneuver in support of [stand-in forces]. As with all modernization efforts, our capabilities must be pursued within affordability constraints.”
