Austal USA has announced its collaboration with L3Harris Technologies for the integration of electric and propulsion systems in the U.S. Navy’s inaugural T-AGOS-25 class ocean surveillance ship. This initiative comes after Austal USA, the American division of the Australian shipbuilder Austal, secured a contract in 2023 to design and build a total of seven T-AGOS-25 class vessels for a substantial $3.2 billion.
These ships are setto play a critical role in collecting underwater acoustic data, enhancing the U.S. Navy’s capabilities in submarine detection through both passive and active surveillance methods. Nino DiCosmo, President of L3Harris Maritime, emphasized the importance of T-AGOS ships, stating, “They are essential for strategic deterrence and operational awareness to meet the Navy’s requirements for anti-submarine warfare readiness.” He also noted that as the single system vendor for Austal USA, L3Harris is dedicated to delivering a reliable and high-performing surveillance ship that aligns with the Navy’s strategic objectives.
The T-AGOS vessels will be equipped with a sophisticated surveillance towed array sensor system, allowing for submarine detection at greater distances compared to existing platforms. The data gathered by these ships will be integrated into the Navy’s broader intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance network, improving response times and enabling more coordinated defense strategies.
Designed to replace the aging fleet of five T-AGOS ships, the T-AGOS-25 class will feature a small waterplane area twin-hull (SWATH) design, which promises a larger and faster operational capability than its predecessors. However, due to technical and production challenges, the delivery of the lead ship has been postponed by a year to 2027, while the second vessel is anticipated to arrive in February 2029. With these delays, the projected timeline for the fleet to achieve full operational capability has been extended to 2036, a year later than originally planned.
