BAE Systems has secured a $204.1-million US Navy contract to carry out maintenance and upgrade work on the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), with modifications aimed at supporting Joint Strike Fighter flight operations.
The work will be performed at the company’s Norfolk shipyard in Virginia under a Selected Restricted Availability period, a scheduled maintenance window used for repairs, modernization, and system improvements.
Under the initiative, the upgrades will focus on shipboard systems needed to handle F-35 operations, which typically require changes to flight deck infrastructure, support equipment, and related systems.
Work on the project is expected to begin in August, as BAE’s Norfolk shipyard nears completion of repairs on the USS Wasp (LHD 1), the lead ship of the same amphibious assault class.
USS Iwo Jima
The USS Iwo Jima, measuring 257 meters (843 feet) in length, was commissioned in 2001 and is the third US Navy vessel to carry the name.
The ship serves as the flagship of the Amphibious Ready Group, a naval task force of amphibious ships for rapid deployment.
It operates as a forward-deployed sea-based platform capable of supporting global missions, amphibious operations, and crisis response.
The ship carries roughly 2,200 service members, including personnel from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, forming a flexible Marine Air-Ground Task Force capable of deploying follow-on forces or conducting expeditionary missions as required.
In June last year, the USS Iwo Jima took part in the ARGMEUEX training exercise, completing integrated ship-to-shore drills designed to certify the amphibious task force’s readiness for deployment and joint operations.
