According to a PR published by Austal USA on May 19, 2023, the company has secured a contract from the United States Navy worth up to US$3.195 billion for the construction of T-AGOS surveillance ships.
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Artist rendering of the future T-AGOS 25 class surveillance ship. (Picture source: Austal)
The initial contract is valued at US$113,906,029 and covers the detail design of the Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance Ship T-AGOS 25 Class. The agreement also includes options for the construction of up to seven T-AGOS 25 class ships, which, if exercised, would bring the total value of the contract to US$3,195,396,097.
These T-AGOS ships play a crucial role in supporting the anti-submarine warfare mission of the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. They are operated by the United States Military Sealift Command (MSC) and are equipped with passive and active anti-submarine acoustic surveillance capabilities.
With a length of 110 meters and a steel "small waterplane area twin hull" (SWATH) design, these vessels assist the Navy's Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS) by collecting underwater acoustical data using the Surveillance Towed-Array Sensor System (SURTASS) equipment.
The contract serves as a testament to the US Government's confidence in Austal USA's capabilities. Austal USA will act as the prime contractor and will collaborate with L3Harris Technologies, Noise Control Engineering, TAI Engineering, and Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors to fulfill the TAGOS-25 program. The construction will take place at Austal's newly established steel shipbuilding facility in Mobile, Alabama.
The company is currently engaged in the delivery of various naval shipbuilding programs and sub-contracted projects, including the Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships, Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transports, Navajo-class Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ships, Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutters for the US Coast Guard, an Auxiliary Floating Dock Medium (AFDM), elevators for the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-80), and command modules for Virginia-class Submarines (SSN).
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The T-AGOS 25 class shares a visual resemblance to the Impeccable class and the smaller Victorious class, which consists of four ships led by the USNS Victorious (T-AGOS-19). All these classes feature a SWATH hull design.
These ships fulfill a surveillance role similar to the older Stalwart class, which comprises 18 ships led by the USNS Stalwart (T-AGOS-1). Unlike the T-AGOS 25 class, the Stalwart class does not have a SWATH hull but instead utilizes a modified oceangoing tug design.
