WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has cut the US Navy's number of ships ordered from 52 to 40.
"BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, San Diego, California, is being awarded a $15.589 million… contract for the accomplishment of post shakedown availabilities (PSA) for USS Detroit and USS Montgomery," the announcement stated on Friday.
The contract will cover engineering changes that were not incorporated during the construction period and is expected to be completed by March 2017, the Defense Department added.
Designed for close-shore combat, the littoral combat ship program has suffered from cost overruns, as well as embarrassing setbacks.
A government watchdog group found that the littoral combat ship USS Freedom showed cracks in the ship’s hull. The littoral combat ship USS Independence is allegedly susceptible to corrosion.
