Regina Garcia
HII‘s Ingalls Shipbuilding unit commenced fabrication on the future USS Fallujah (LHA 9) and marked the progress on the development of the U.S. Navy’s latest amphibious assault ship.
On Monday, the first 100 tons of steel were cut for the ship, preparing the future naval ship for construction at the Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyard, HII said.
The upcoming ship, named after the first and second Battles of Fallujah during the Iraq War, will have similar aviation capabilities to that of America-class ships, with the addition of surface assault capability of a well deck and a larger flight deck configured for F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and MV-22 Osprey aircraft.
In October, the HII division received a contract modification of up to $2.4 billion for the detail design and construction of USS Fallujah.
“The start of fabrication on Fallujah is a significant milestone in the construction of this large-deck amphibious ship and demonstrates our ability to maintain a sustained LHA production line at Ingalls,” said Eugene Miller, Ingalls Shipbuilding LHA program manager.
