Austal Starts Third Heritage-Class OPC as $3.3B Coast Guard Program Accelerates in Mobile
Austal USA has started construction of its third Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter, the future USCGC Ingham, at its Mobile, Alabama, shipyard, putting three of the Coast Guard's next-generation offshore workhorses into production at the Gulf Coast facility. The August 27 milestone follows construction starts for Pickering in August 2024 and Icarus in August 2025. Austal's Stage 2 contract covers as many as 11 OPCs with a potential value of about $3.3 billion, while the Coast Guard's full acquisition objective remains 25 ships. Each 360-foot cutter is designed for 60-day deployments, a 10,200-nautical-mile range at 14 knots and sustained offshore operations spanning counter-narcotics, migrant interdiction, search and rescue, homeland security, defense support and Arctic missions.
Operator Impact Snapshot
Austal now has three Offshore Patrol Cutters in production as the Coast Guard moves toward serial construction of the ships expected to provide most of its future offshore presence.
The third Mobile-built Heritage-class cutter entered construction on August 27.
The Stage 2 contract creates a long serial-production runway if remaining options are exercised.
OPCs are intended to replace the Coast Guard's aging 210- and 270-foot medium endurance cutters.
Long endurance supports counter-drug, migrant, fisheries, SAR and security missions far from homeport.
The class is designed to bridge the operational space between National Security Cutters and Fast Response Cutters.
OPC Production & Supplier Watchboard
The Heritage-class buildout is becoming a repeat-production market spanning ship construction, propulsion, power, deck equipment, aviation support, training and new homeport infrastructure.
| Program Element | Latest Position | Equipment / Infrastructure | Production Significance | Commercial Opportunity | Next Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickering | AUSTAL OPC 1 WMSM-919 Production began August 2024. Keel authenticated December 2025. | Lead Austal vessel establishes the production configuration, outfitting sequence and supplier integration for later ships. | Coast Guard said design and modeling activities were fully complete by the keel milestone. | First-of-yard work carries more integration effort, engineering support and supplier learning than later repeat hulls. | Delivery currently scheduled for 2027. |
| Icarus | AUSTAL OPC 2 WMSM-920 Production began August 2025. | Same core Heritage-class architecture with Austal's optimized hull structure and digital production model. | Second hull begins to convert one-off engineering and tooling investment into repeat production. | More standardized purchasing and outfitting can improve schedule visibility for recurring OEM packages. | Keel, assembly and launch milestones. |
| Ingham | AUSTAL OPC 3 Started Aug. 27 Austal's newest cutter in production. | Modular construction with extensive pre-outfitting supported by the shipyard's detailed 3D model. | Three simultaneous OPC builds are a stronger indicator that the program is moving toward serial production. | Recurring propulsion, controls, HVAC, water systems, doors, elevators, davits, cables, machinery and mission systems. | Austal has not yet published a hull number or delivery date for the newly named Ingham. |
| Future Long-Lead Material | FUNDED $314M September 2025 option package. | Long-lead materials authorized for Austal's fourth, fifth and sixth OPCs, plus logistics items for two vessels. | Early material procurement reduces the gap between future option exercise and physical production. | OEMs with long manufacturing cycles gain earlier visibility into likely future demand. | Construction-option awards for later cutters. |
| Propulsion System | MULTI-SHIP AWARD 4 Cutters Kongsberg contract announced May 2026. | Promas integrated controllable-pitch propeller and rudder systems for the next four OPCs. | Multi-hull equipment packages are exactly where serial naval construction can create manufacturing efficiency. | Propellers, rudders, shafting, controls, hydraulic systems, bearings, seals, spares and lifecycle service. | Equipment manufacture and shipset deliveries into Austal's production schedule. |
| Machinery Package | REPEAT SUPPLY 2 × 9,763 hp Published main-engine configuration. | Fairbanks Morse main propulsion diesels plus equipment from FMD companies covering doors, stores elevator, reverse osmosis, davits and electrical hardware. | A broad package creates recurring revenue across multiple subsystem categories rather than a single engine sale. | Engines, overhaul kits, watermakers, deck machinery, elevators, cable supports, davits and decades of spares. | Follow-on shipsets and long-term Coast Guard sustainment. |
| Final Assembly 2 | UNDER CONSTRUCTION 192,000+ sq ft Target completion early 2027. | Three large covered bays and an integrated ship lift rated above 18,000 long tons. | Additional indoor erection capacity reduces competition for assembly space as OPC and TAGOS production ramps. | Cranes, material handling, automation, welding, coatings, test equipment and facility services. | Completion and commissioning of the new facility. |
| Base Charleston Pier Mike | HOMEPORT INVESTMENT $116.7M | New pier designed to berth four OPCs plus one visiting cutter. | New cutters generate shore-side investment beyond the actual shipbuilding contracts. | Shore power, utilities, fenders, bollards, cranes, security, maintenance and port services. | Construction of new homeport infrastructure. |
| Yorktown Training | CREW PIPELINE $17.8M | 18,700 square feet of new engineering and weapons training space supporting OPC and WCC crews. | Fleet growth requires training infrastructure before later hulls enter service. | Simulators, machinery trainers, controls, weapons training, instructional systems and support. | Facility completion and initial training throughput. |
| Stage 1 Transition | PROGRAM WATCH Eastern Exit | Coast Guard and Eastern terminated the remaining Stage 1 contract in June 2026 after earlier cancellation of OPCs 3 and 4. | The unfinished Stage 1 situation increases the importance of predictable throughput from the Austal line. | Fleet delays can create additional spending on legacy cutter sustainment and interim readiness. | Final disposition and completion path for remaining Stage 1 assets. |
OPC Supplier Revenue & Production Cadence Planner
Turn a multi-hull cutter contract into a supplier-market scenario by estimating remaining production value, equipment content, addressable category spend, potential supplier awards and the lifecycle support tail.
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