United States Navy LCU 1700-class Ordered

The US Navy awarded three competitive prototype Other Transaction agreements on 15 September 2026, worth a combined 280.5 million dollars, to Conrad Shipyard of Orange, Texas, Master Boat Builders of Coden, Alabama, and Saronic Technologies of Brownsville, Texas, to build LCU 1700-class landing craft. According to the Navy, each yard will build two or three craft, with deliveries from late 2028 through 2029; WorkBoat put the initial total at seven. The awards add second sources alongside Austal USA, which delivered the first of the class, LCU 1710, in August 2026. The LCU 1700 replaces the LCU 1610 class, whose craft average more than 50 years in service.