BAE Systems has been awarded a $149.75 million contract to carry out maintenance, modernization and repair work on the US Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4).
The contract covers the labor, equipment, testing, facilities and quality assurance required to support the Chief of Naval Operations availability, including critical modernization, maintenance and repair work on the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship.
The deal includes options that could increase its cumulative value to $180 million.
Work will be performed in San Diego, California, where USS Boxer is homeported, and is scheduled for completion by October 2028.
To remind, in 2020, BAE Systems announced that its San Diego shipyard had received a roughly $200 million contract to carry out maintenance and modernization work on USS Boxer. That earlier program included upgrades to support F-35B operations, as well as hull, tank and mechanical work.
Commissioned on February 11, 1995, USS Boxer is the sixth US Navy ship to bear the name. The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship supports amphibious operations and can operate aircraft and landing craft.
They provide the US Marine Corps with a means of ship-to-shore movement by helicopter in addition to movement by landing craft. LHAs (and later LHDs) have been participants in major humanitarian-assistance, occupation and combat operations in which the United States has been involved.
In March this year, USS Boxer held a change of command ceremony onboard Naval Base San Diego. Capt. Eli Owre assumed the duties and responsibilities as commanding officer of Boxer from Capt. Jason Tumlinson.