HII to Build Small Surface Combatants for the US Navy

19 December 2025

(Image credit: HII)

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been selected by the US Navy to design and build the future small surface combatant (SSC) ship, leveraging the proven design of the Ingalls-built Legend-class national security cutter (NSC). With a proven track record of building complex ships and having the available facility capacity, Ingalls shipbuilders will once again engage in construction activities alongside its destroyer and amphibious shipbuilding lines, where the national security cutters were built, using the same sequence of build.

“We look forward to supporting the Navy on this critical program,” said Chris Kastner, HII president and CEO. “Speed matters, and the NSC ship design is stable and producible and will lead to predictable schedules. I have great confidence in the Ingalls team to execute this program, and in our ongoing efforts with our partners to successfully expand the US shipbuilding industrial base to meet the Navy’s needs.”

Currently, Ingalls is simultaneously building three classes of ships (DDG 51 Flight III, LHA, and LPD Flight II) and modernizing the Zumwalt-class of guided missile destroyers with technology upgrades, including the incorporation of the conventional prompt strike weapons system. Ingalls supported the US Coast Guard for nearly two decades by building and delivering 10 Legend-class national security cutters (NSCs). The final cutter was delivered in October 2023.

HII has invested over $1 billion in the infrastructure, facilities, and toolsets at Ingalls Shipbuilding, positioning the shipyard to support next-generation systems and platforms. HII this year has distributed shipbuilding work to 23 outsourcing partners, and established partnerships with international manufacturers, to explore meaningful ways to expand capacity, including the evaluation of adding an additional shipyard in the US.