Press Releases

Congressman Mike Ezell (MS-04) welcomed the U.S. Navy’s announcement of a $283 million contract award to HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Division in Pascagoula, Mississippi, to support the development of the Navy’s next-generation guided missile frigate program.

The contract will fund long-lead time material procurement, continued design adaptation work from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Legend-class National Security Cutter to the Navy’s FF(X) platform, and initial pre-construction activities for the first ship.

“This is a major win for Mississippi and for our nation’s maritime strength,” Ezell said. “Ingalls Shipbuilding has long been a cornerstone of our shipbuilding industrial base, and this investment reinforces its critical role in delivering the next generation of naval capability. It also means good-paying jobs and continued economic growth for our region. Ensuring our Navy has the ships it needs to meet evolving threats starts with a strong industrial base. This program will not only strengthen our national defense, but it will also expand shipbuilding capacity across the country through a competitive, distributed approach.”

The award represents a key step in accelerating the Navy’s frigate program, with plans to move forward with full construction of the first two ships later this year, pending congressional authorization and appropriations.

The Navy has indicated it intends to transition to a competitive procurement process for future frigate orders, leveraging Ingalls’ leadership as a “lead yard” to deliver a build-ready design and support production across the broader industrial base.

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