PASCAGOULA, Miss., Dec. 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy has given Huntington Ingalls' shipbuilding division an advanced procurement award for work on the third Zumwalt class destroyer.
The contract is valued at $46 million. The company said the majority of the work would be performed at its Composite Center of Excellence in Gulfport, Miss.
"Strategically, this is a very important contract to our company and specifically to the composite shipbuilders working in Gulfport," said Karrie Trauth, Ingalls Shipbuilding's DDG 1000 program manager.
"The Gulfport facility is a national asset in terms of composite capability and capacity. Our shipbuilders continue to prove this on a daily basis with the significant work they are performing in composites for U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs.
"With this funding, we can prepare our facility and provide the necessary resources for our talented shipbuilders to continue working on these complex products," Trauth said.
Ingalls said it plans to buy material and equipment in support of DDG 1002 advanced construction and provide engineering and production support services.
Ingalls is constructing the deckhouse, hangar and peripheral vertical launch systems for DDG 1000 and DDG 1001.
