HII secures US Navy FF(X) class frigate lead yard support contract

April 29, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

The US Navy has awarded HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division a $283 million contract to perform FF(X) class frigate lead yard support activities.

As disclosed, the contract allows Ingalls Shipbuilding to procure long lead time material, execute design work and begin pre-construction activities for the first ship.

Under this contract, Ingalls Shipbuilding will begin cutting and shaping raw material to support future phases of work on the main structure foundation and the overall construction sequencing plan of the first frigate.

This new approach will enable a smooth transition from design to production at Ingalls Shipbuilding and eventually across the industrial base, according to HII.

“We are proud of our past performance in engineering, design and production of warships that meet U.S. military standards, a performance that gave the Navy confidence to select the national security cutter as the basis for the next small surface combatant and to choose Ingalls as the program’s lead yard,” said Brian Blanchette, Ingalls Shipbuilding president.

“We are excited to partner with the Navy to bring these preproduction steps under contract to accelerate delivery of the frigates that our warfighters need.”

The FF(X) will be a smaller, more agile surface combatant designed to complement the fleet’s larger, multi-mission warships and enhance operational flexibility around the globe.

In December 2025, the US Navy selected Ingalls Shipbuilding to design and build the future FF(X), leveraging the design of the Legend‑class national security cutter (NSC).

US Navy turns to HII to construct future small surface combatants

Vessels

Ingalls previously delivered ten NSCs to the US Coast Guard and will use the same build sequence for the FF(X) program.

US Coast Guard commissions newest national security cutter

Vessels

The new frigates will be constructed alongside production lines that currently support DDG 51 Flight III destroyers, LHA assault ships, LPD Flight II amphibious transport docks, and modernization activities for the Zumwalt‑class guided missile destroyers.

Ingalls Shipbuilding has invested more than $1 billion in modernizing its infrastructure, facilities, and toolsets. HII as a whole is actively working to expand US shipbuilding capacity by, among other things, increasing the number of distributed shipbuilding partners, collaborating with international manufacturers, and evaluating the addition of another US shipyard.