Three Gulf Coast builders are now on contract to build the Navy’s next-generation landing craft. The Navy has awarded prototype agreements for the LCU 1700 class to Conrad Shipyard of Orange, Texas; Master Boat Builders of Coden, Alabama; and Saronic Technologies of Brownsville, Texas, with an initial construction obligation of $280,521,389.
The Landing Craft, Utility is the workhorse that shuttles equipment and people from amphibious ships to the beach. The Navy’s aim with these awards is capacity: more yards able to build the new class, and proof that its design can be built at each of them.
The Navy announced the awards in a Sept. 15, 2026 release from its PAE Maritime office. Each shipyard “will construct two or three prototype craft and refine manufacturing plans to support high-rate production,” the release said, and “deliveries are scheduled to begin in late 2028 and continue through 2029.”
“By selecting three distinct shipyards, the Navy is expanding its shipbuilding industrial base capacity and building a resilient ‘second source’ of supply for landing craft.” — William F. Mahan, performing the duties of Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition
Replacing a 50-year workhorse
The craft being replaced have earned their retirement. According to the Navy’s Sept. 15 release, the legacy LCU 1610 class “averages over 50 years of active service.” The LCU 1700 is intended to bring “improved reliability, increased payload capacity, extended operational reach and compatibility with the Navy’s amphibious warfare ships,” the release said.
The first of the new class is already in Navy hands. Austal USA announced on Aug. 14, 2026 that it had delivered LCU 1710, the first LCU 1700-class craft, which the company said was also its first steel vessel delivered to the Navy. Austal described the craft as built to “transport equipment and personnel from ship to shore in support of expeditionary operations.”
Why prototype agreements
The three awards are Other Transaction agreements, not traditional procurement contracts. “Other Transaction prototype authority allows the Navy to move at the speed of relevance,” the Navy’s release said. The Navy said the approach uses prototype authority under 10 U.S.C. § 4022, the statute that lets a military department carry out prototype projects “directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness” of Defense Department personnel or improving the platforms and systems the department buys.
The practical goal is the technical data package, the drawings and specifications a shipyard builds from. “By validating the TDPs through actual fabrication, the Navy ensures a low-risk transition to high-rate production,” the Sept. 15 release said. In other words, three yards building from the same package is a test of the package itself, not just of the builders. The Navy said the awards are funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
A new yard in Brownsville
Saronic said in a Sept. 16, 2026 company announcement that it will build its LCUs at Port Alpha, its new shipyard in Brownsville, with production beginning in 2028 and first deliveries in 2029. The company described Port Alpha as designed to produce both large autonomous surface vessels and manned ships. Saronic did not state how many craft it will build under the award.
“This award reflects the kind of partnership we set out to build with the Navy, where speed, cost discipline, and a modern industrial base reinforce each other,” Saronic co-founder and CEO Dino Mavrookas said in the announcement.
The next verified milestone is the first prototype delivery from the three new yards, which the Navy has scheduled to begin in late 2028.
Featured image: A U.S. Navy landing craft utility underway. Image Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Ensign Sarah Thomas — Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Combat Rated editors prior to publication.