U.S. Navy Taps Three Shipyards in $280M Push to Accelerate LCU 1700 Production

The US Navy awarded prototype agreements totaling about $280 million to Conrad Shipyard, Master Boat Builders, and Saronic to accelerate Landing Craft Utility 1700 production. Using several builders is intended to increase industrial capacity, reduce schedule risk, and introduce more competition into the ship-to-shore connector program. LCU 1700 craft move vehicles, cargo, and personnel from amphibious ships to austere beaches without established port infrastructure. The prototype approach lets the Navy evaluate manufacturing performance before committing to larger production quantities across the planned replacement fleet and follow-on fleet orders.