Austal USA has selected Taber Extrusions LLC to supply extruded products for the littoral combat ship Jackson and joint high speed vessel Fortitude’s decking, superstructure and bulkheads. Taber will also manufacture and supply some structural extrusions for both ships through a contract with O’Neal Steel Corp.
The Jackson is the first order under Austal’s recently announced U.S. Navy construction contract and is expected to be delivered in 2011. The contract could include an additional 10 littoral combat ships over five years with a total value exceeding $3.5B. Austal is teamed with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, which is serving as ship systems integrator and is responsible for the design, integration and testing of the ship’s mission systems.
“Our quality and delivery record has given Austal the confidence to expand our business relationship. We look forward to working with Austal on both of these major programs for many years, ” said Taber President Bill Wetmore.
