General Dynamics NASSCO Awarded Design Contract for Mobile Landing Platform Ship

SAN DIEGO – General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a $3.5 million design contract for the U.S. Navy’s Mobile Landing Ship (MLP) program. Under the contract, NASSCO will develop a preliminary ship design based on Navy requirements. A contract for the detail design and construction of up to three ships could be awarded next year.

The MLP is a new class of auxiliary ship for the Navy's Maritime Prepositioning Force of the Future (MPF(F)) program. The ship is intended to serve as a transfer station or “floating pier at sea,” improving the U.S. military’s ability to deliver equipment and cargo to areas where port access is limited or unavailable. Early requirements of the ship include the ability to land helicopters, a facility for the operation of air cushioned landing crafts (LCACs), and the capability for ship-to-ship transfer of equipment from large-draft prepositioning ships to others vessels, including T-AKE ships.

“We are pleased to be selected to design this revolutionary auxiliary ship,” said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. “We look forward to working closely with the Navy to further understand the requirements and ensure our team creates an affordable, effective MLP design.”

General Dynamics NASSCO employs more than 4,700 people and is the only major ship construction and repair yard on the West Coast of the United States. NASSCO is currently building four T-AKE ships for the Navy and three product carriers for U.S. Shipping Partners L.P. Additional information on NASSCO can be found at www.nassco.com.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 92,300 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.gd.com.