Northrop gets LPD help from General Dynamics

[unhappycamper]

Northrop gets LPD help from General Dynamics
By Holbrook Mohr - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Apr 1, 2008 6:23:09 EDT

JACKSON, Miss. — Northrop Grumman Corp. is turning to one of its biggest competitors for help staying on schedule in building a warship for the Navy.

The defense contractor announced Monday that it has awarded a contract to General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works in Maine for the construction of “upper wing units” for an amphibious transport dock, Northrop spokesman Bill Glenn said.

While the companies often compete for military contracts they have worked together on huge projects over the years. Officials say the latest collaboration will benefit both companies and the customer — the Navy.

Northrop Grumman’s Shipbuilding sector is the prime contractor for the San Antonio-class ships, also known as the LPD 17 class. The ships, which are designed to launch 14 Marine aircraft, are being constructed at Northrop’s facilities in Pascagoula and Gulfport on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in New Orleans.

“This subcontract helps maintain a healthy industrial base and continues the collaboration between the two largest shipbuilders in the country,” Irwin Edenzon, vice president and general manager for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Gulf Coast, said in a statement. “Bath has manufacturing capacity at the right time to provide what we need. It’s the right thing to do for the program and our customer.”


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_grumman_lpd17_033108/