Ingalls Shipbuilding secures $283 million US Navy frigate pre-production contract as FF(X) program advances

The U.S. Navy has awarded HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division a $283 million contract for lead yard support of the new FF(X) guided-missile frigate class. The award funds long-lead material procurement, design maturation, and initial construction sequencing ahead of full production of the first vessel.

Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, will begin cutting and shaping raw materials and executing detailed design work under a newly awarded U.S. Navy contract valued at $283 million. The award, structured as a lead yard support agreement for the FF(X) frigate program, covers procurement of long-lead components and pre-construction activities intended to accelerate delivery timelines for the first ship in the class.

The work will establish the main structural foundation and overall build sequencing before a smooth transition into full-rate production, according to official disclosures. The Navy formally selected Ingalls to design and build the FF(X) in December 2025, adopting the proven hull form of the Legend-class national security cutter.

Ingalls previously delivered 10 of those cutters to the U.S. Coast Guard and will apply the same construction methodology to the frigate program. The new frigates will be built alongside existing production lines for DDG 51 Flight III destroyers, LHA amphibious assault ships, LPD Flight II amphibious transport docks, and Zumwalt-class destroyer modernization work.

The FF(X) is envisioned as a smaller, more agile surface combatant designed to complement the fleet’s larger multi-mission warships and enhance global operational flexibility. The contracting approach reflects the Navy’s broader push to compress acquisition cycles and strengthen the domestic shipbuilding industrial base.

HII has invested more than $1 billion in infrastructure, facilities, and toolset modernization at Ingalls to support next-generation platforms. The company is also expanding distributed shipbuilding partnerships, collaborating with international manufacturers, and evaluating the potential addition of another U.S. shipyard to increase capacity.

For defense suppliers, the contract signals near-term demand for propulsion systems, advanced sensors, steel, and specialized marine components. For investors, it reinforces HII’s revenue visibility in naval shipbuilding and underscores the Navy’s commitment to fielding a mixed fleet of large and small surface combatants.

Ingalls Shipbuilding, based in Pascagoula, Mississippi, is the largest manufacturing employer in the state and a primary builder of surface warships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.