Unit cost of Army watercraft more than twice the original price
By Jen Judson
Thursday, Nov 9
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army’s brand new watercraft will cost the service more than double the original price tag to build, according to the Army acquisition chief.
The unit cost, after the most recent contract negotiations with the Maneuver Support Vessel-Light’s builder Vigor, increased from $27.8 million to $63.1 million per unit, a spokesperson for the acquisition chief confirmed.
Army officials have stressed the importance of building up a new watercraft fleet to contend with operations, particularly in the realm of contested logistics, in the Indo-Pacific region. A number of years ago, the Army shifted its priority away from the capability as it focused on operations in the Middle East. Now that the focus has returned on deterring China and forging allies and partnerships in the theater, the need for watercraft is high on the Army’s list of requirements.
https://www.defensenews.com/land/2023/11/09/unit-cost-of-army-watercraft-more-than-twice-the-original-price/
