The Pentagon's top weapons buyer has granted the Navy permission to award the primary construction contract for the second of its next-generation aircraft carriers to shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries, a Defense Department spokeswoman confirmed last week. Frank Kendall on June 3 signed an acquisition decision memorandum allowing the Navy to proceed with an estimated $4 billion detailed design and construction (DD&C) contract for the third Ford-class carrier, the John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), Pentagon spokeswoman Maureen Schumann told Inside the Navy...
