Austal USA marked a major milestone with the launch of its first U.S. Navy Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1710 in Mobile, Alabama. This vessel serves as the inaugural unit of the Navy’s new LCU-1700 program, which is set to replace the decades-old LCU-1650 fleet nearing the end of its service life.
The Navy awarded Austal USA a $91.5 million contract in September 2023 to build three of the new LCUs, with the option for nine more ships. By August 2024, the service expanded its order by adding two vessels, raising the total number under construction to five. Austal currently has three LCUs in production at its Alabama facility.
The modernized LCU-1700 is a 139-foot-long, 31-foot-wide steel craft weighing about 428 long tons. Its dual ramps at both the bow and stern allow for rapid roll-on/roll-off operations, enabling the vessel to carry vehicles, troops, and cargo directly onto shorelines or amphibious platforms.
One of its most distinctive features is the ability to connect several LCUs together, forming a temporary floating causeway. This capability offers the Navy faster and more efficient offload operations, particularly valuable in contested or austere environments where traditional port access may be unavailable.
