Matthew Nelson
American Superconductor is slated to install magnetic field reducing technology into two U.S. Navy amphibious transport vessels, National Defense reported Thursday.
The company received sole-source contracts from the service branch to integrate the degaussing platforms into LPD-28 and LPD-30 naval vessels.
Designed to lower ships’ magnetic signature, the same technology helped mitigate German minefield threats during World War II.
Daniel McGahn, chairman, president and CEO at AMSC, said the firm’s degaussing systems utilizes ceramic components and superconductors to decrease vessels’ weight by 10 to 100 tons compared to the alternative, copper wires.
“We’re increasing performance at similar cost, but we’re liberating an envelope of weight and volume to be used for other systems,†said McGahn.
A Congressional Research Service report stated that the Navy plans to secure 20 guided-missile ships with an initial batch slated in fiscal year 2020.
