Contract: Northrop, $19.4M

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $19,360,601 modification to previously awarded contract to provide engineering and production planning services for mission packages that will deploy from and integrate with the littoral combat ship. Work will be performed in Bethpage, N.Y. (44 percent); Oxnard, Calif. (16 percent); Washington, D.C. (14 percent); Panama City, Fla. (10 percent); Dahlgren, Va. (8 percent); San Diego, Calif. (4 percent); Hollywood, Md. (2 percent); Andover, Mass. (1 percent); and Middletown, R.I. (1 percent); and is expected to be completed by June 2014. Fiscal 2013 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funding in the amount of $5,931,600 will be obligated at the time of award. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/28/13)

Keel laying at Austal

MOBILE, Ala. -- Austal USA held a keel laying ceremony Tuesday to mark start of construction on a new Littoral Combat Ship. The LCS is the future USS Montgomery, and is expected to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2016. The Navy's LCS class ships are optimized for missions in coastal waters. Montgomery is one of the Independence-class variants of the LCS being built by Austal USA at its Mobile River yard. (Sources: multiple, including al.com, 06/25/13, UPI, 06/26/13)

Cedar Point site of meeting

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. -- The newly-founded Science Center for Marine Fisheries held its first-ever meeting at the Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center in Ocean Springs Friday morning. Funded by the National Science Foundation and the University Cooperative Research Center, the SCMF utilizes academic, recreational and commercial fisheries resources to address urgent scientific problems limiting sustainable fisheries. The University of Southern Mississippi is the lead institution of the SCMF, with the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences the partner institution. For USM President Rodney Bennett, it was his first visit to the GCRL Cedar Point teaching site. (Source: Mississippi Press, 06/21/13)

Contract: Lockheed, $9.9M

Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $9,931,106 modification to previously awarded contract for DDG Modernization testing efforts associated with the Aegis Combat System and MK 59 Decoy Launcher System shipcheck studies onboard DDG 62. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif. (40 percent), Norfolk, Va. (38 percent), Moorestown, N.J. (8 percent), Washington, D.C. (7 percent), Port Hueneme, Calif. (3 percent), Bath, Maine (2 percent), Pascagoula, Miss. (2 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2013. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/17/13)

Ingalls gets $76.8M NSC contract

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Huntington Ingalls Industries' Ingalls Shipbuilding division today received a $76.8 million fixed-price contract from the U.S. Coast Guard to purchase long-lead materials for Kimball (WMSL 756), the company's seventh National Security Cutter (NSC). Construction and delivery will be performed at the company's Pascagoula facility. Funds will be used to buy major items for Kimball, such as steel, the main propulsion systems, generators, electrical switchboards and major castings. Ingalls has delivered three NSCs. Ingalls' fourth NSC, Hamilton (WMSL 753), will launch later this year and be christened on Oct. 26. The keel was recently laid on the fifth cutter, James (WMSL 754), and construction will begin on the company's sixth cutter, Munro (WMSL 755), later this year. (Source: Huntington Ingalls, 06/14/13) Previous

JHSVs, LCSs named

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Thursday the next three joint high speed vessels (JHSV) will be named USNS Yuma, USNS Bismarck and USNS Burlington, and two littoral combat ships (LCS) will be named USS Billings and USS Tulsa. The JHSVs, all 338 feet long and built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., are named after small American cities and counties. Yuma (JHSV 8) honors the city in Arizona and will be the fourth ship to bear this name. Bismarck (JHSV 9) is the first naval vessel to be named after North Dakota's capital city, and Burlington (JHSV10) is the first to be named for the city in Vermont. The LCSs are named to recognize cities that are one of the five most-populated communities in a state. Billings (LCS 15) is named in honor of Montana's largest city and will be the first ship to bear the name. Tulsa (LCS 16) will be the second ship named for Oklahoma's second-largest city. Billings, a Freedom-variant LCS, will be 378 feet long and built in Marinette, Wis., and Tulsa, an Independence-variant LCS, will be 419 feet long and built by Austal. (Source: DoD, 06/06/13)

Austal launches JHSV

MOBILE, Ala. -- Austal USA launched its third Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV), USNS Millinrocket. The 338-foot aluminum catamaran is part of a $1.6 billion, 10-ship program with the U.S. Navy. The vessels are designed to be fast, flexible and maneuverable in shallow waters, travel at an average speed of about 40 mph and transport troops, weapons and cargo. The ship will undergo final outfitting before sea trials and delivery to the Navy later this year. (Source: al.com, 06/06/13)

Contract: Ingalls, $3.3B

Huntington Ingalls of Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $3,331,476,001 fixed-price incentive, multiyear contract for construction of five DDG 51 class ships, one in each of fiscal 2013-2017. This contract includes options for engineering change proposals, design budgeting requirements and post-delivery availabilities, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $3,386,092,948. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss. (56.3 percent), with additional work sites in Ohio, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and other locations. Work is expected to be completed by July 2023. This contract was procured via a limited competition between Huntington Ingalls and Bath Iron Works. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 06/03/13)