January 26, 2012Alcoa Defense Congratulates Austal USA on...

January 26, 2012

Alcoa Defense Congratulates Austal USA on Christening of 127-Meter All-Aluminum LCS Coronado

Each LCS Features More than 1 Million Pounds of High-Quality Aluminum

One of the Single Largest Uses of Aluminum in the World

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alcoa Defense today congratulated Austal USA on the christening of the Coronado, the second Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), recently inaugurated in Mobile, Alabama. The Independence-variant LCS is a 127-meter all-aluminum vessel, with a trimaran hull–design which offers maneuverability, stability, endurance, shallow draft, and a flight deck larger than any other U.S. Navy surface combatant. The LCS is one of the single largest uses of aluminum anywhere in the world.

Each LCS features more than one million pounds of high-quality aluminum, helping make the ship lighter, stronger and faster. The LCS is the largest aluminum vessel being constructed today and most of the hundreds of thousands of pounds of the 5083-alloy aluminum plate for each ship is supplied by Alcoa’s Davenport Works in Riverdale, Iowa. In addition to marine plate, Alcoa Defense also supplies fabricated aluminum subassemblies for the Austal LCS.

The LCS is capable of being outfitted with reconfigurable payloads (mission packages) which can be changed quickly to support mine countermeasure, anti-submarine and surface warfare missions. The vessel has a maximum speed of more than 45 knots. The Coronado is the second of an expanded 12-ship, Independence Class LCS program, with the potential for more.

“Austal selected Alcoa aluminum for this critical supply contract, for many reasons, including our unmatched dimensional capabilities of our rolling mills – delivering the widest range of sizes available in the industry,” said David Dobson, President of Alcoa Defense. “Alcoa and Austal are working together to introduce innovative flight deck tie downs, aluminum armor solutions and large, thick plate sub-assemblies to subsequent LCS vessels that will take even more weight off the ship and improve shipbuilding efficiency.”

In addition to the LCS program, Alcoa Defense and the Davenport plant are supplying Austal with high-quality aluminum for the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) program. Austal has been awarded contracts for 7 of the 10 planned JHSV’s as part of a $1.6 billion contract. Three of the JHSV’s are currently under construction – USNS Spearhead (JHSV-1), Choctaw County (JHSV-2) and JHSV 3. For the LCS and JHSV programs, Austal is teamed with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics.

About Alcoa Defense

Alcoa Defense partners with industry leaders to design systems and materials that increase the speed, reach, agility and survivability of military platforms. In addition to delivering lightweight, innovative solutions in multiple product forms, Alcoa Defense manufactures subassemblies, prototypes and complete aluminum structures that original equipment manufacturers can integrate into their platforms for land, air and sea. More information can be found at AlcoaDefense.com.