Vigor begins low rate initial production of new U.S. Army landing craft

The new generation U.S. Army landing craft replaces the Vietnam-era Landing Craft Mechanized 8 (LCM-8). Vigor completed and launched the prototype vessel, SSG Elroy F. Wells, in 2022 and now commences work on the next phase of the near $1 billion contract. More than 180 skilled workers are expected to support the project over the next five years.

“Beginning this work represents a milestone for the Army, for Vigor and for our employees,” said Jayson Robinson, Vigor’s vice president of fabrication. “It is a credit to the great work of our team over the last several years and the partnership with the Army to have the opportunity to take what we have learned from the prototype and build the next generation of landing craft. Our employees are incredibly proud to support our national defense and our customer’s critical mission.”

Vigor was originally awarded the contract in 2017 and secured the Vancouver, Wash., facility to complete the prototype, then produce multiple vessels under low rate production, and several more over ten years. The vessel is designed to support Army mariners and their payload in even the most difficult environments due to its state-of-the-art maneuverability and stability.

After undergoing sea trials throughout 2023, Vigor and the Army completed the DD 250 handoff of the prototype vessel in February and began planning for production of future vessels. The next phase of fabrication began this week and will continue for the next five years. “This project will not only improve the Army’s capabilities, it provides more than 180 family wage jobs here in Vancouver,” Robinson said. “We are honored to have been selected for this work and committed to providing a quality, reliable vessel to our customer.”