MAY 1, 2013 — The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a fixed‐price incentive firm target contract valued at approximately $487.1 million to Huntington Ingalls Industries for the production of the sixth National Security Cutter (NSC). NSC 6 Munro (WMSL 755) will be built at the company's Ingalls Shipbuilding division at its Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard.

Two NSCs are currently in production. The Coast Guard awarded the production contract for NSC 4 in November 2010 and production of that vessel is approximately 39 percent complete to date. The Coast Guard awarded production for NSC 5 in September 2011. NSC 5 is approximately 16 percent complete to date.

Three NSCs, the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf, Coast Guard Cutter Waesche and Coast Guard Cutter Stratton, are fully operational and executing Coast Guard missions in the field. All three are homeported in Alameda, Calif. The Coast Guard plans to acquire eight NSCs.

The NSC is the most capable vessel of the Coast Guard’s recapitalized surface fleet. It features robust capabilities for maritime homeland security, law enforcement and national defense missions. Each NSC is 418 feet long with an operational range of 12,000 nautical miles, a top speed of 28 knots and a 60‐day endurance. NSCs have berthing for up to 148 to accommodate additional personnel, such as law enforcement detachments. These technologically advanced vessels also are the first Coast Guard cutters to feature both a helicopter flight deck and a small boat stern launch allowing the deployment of boarding teams in worse weather than prior vessels. The NSC’s advanced command‐and‐control communications systems greatly improve its interoperability and information sharing with the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and other operational partners.

"Our Coast Guard customer continues to be extremely pleased with the performance of the NSC, and this contract proves that," said Jim French, Ingalls' NSC program manager. "Our shipbuilders continue to execute well on this contract, and the design/build plan is at a mature stage. We currently have two more ships under construction and expect to start NSC 6 in October."

A long-lead material contract for NSC 6 was awarded in 2012, and all associated equipment has been ordered.

Ingalls builds, integrates and tests the NSC hull, mechanical and electrical (HME) systems, while Lockheed Martin provides the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities onboard the cutters.

NSCs are 418 feet long with a 54-foot beam, displacing 4,500 tons with a full load. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles, an endurance of 60 days and a crew of 110.