HII CEO cites testing programme in LHA delivery shift

America-class amphibious assault ship, Bougainville, shown here in a rendering, is facing a construction delivery delay. (HII)

Delivery of America-class amphibious assault ship Bougainville (LHA 8) is being delayed in part due to testing issues for the ship, according to Chris Kastner, CEO of HII, whose Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, builds the LHAs.

Shipyard “labour” challenges are also part of the cause for delays facing Bougainville and two other LHAs, accoding to documents supporting the proposed US Navy (USN) fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget, which was released on 21 April.

The delivery date for Bougainville was shifted to July 2027 from August 2026 due to labour challenges and “based on construction performance indicators”, budget documents said.

Speaking on a quarterly call to investment analysts on 5 May, Kastner said, “What you found on LHA 8 was just some issues in the test programme as we're working through it. We have some new systems on that ship, having some challenges. We have seen over the last couple of weeks a bit of a ramp in the test rate.”

The delivery date for America-class Fallujah (LHA 9) was shifted to July 2031 from September 2030 “based on the shipyard's formal Over Target Schedule (OTS) re-baselining effort” due to the labour issues, the documents show.

The same labour OTS re-baselining reason was given for shifting the delivery date for Helmand Province (LHA 10) to September 2034 from September 2033, according to the documents.

The FY 2027 budget request includes about USD4 billion for the procurement of Helmand Province , including outfitting costs, support to the maritime industrial base, as well as the cost to complete