Hanwha’s Philly Shipyard has won a contract from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to build Missile Range Instrumentation Vessels (MRIVs).
The shipyard announced on its website on July 17 that it has been selected as the contractor for the MRIV project in partnership with Tote Services, a U.S. ship construction management firm.
Philly Shipyard will be responsible for vessel construction, while Tote Services will oversee the shipbuilding management.
MRIVs are specialized maritime vessels designed to track speed, altitude, and trajectory during missile test launches, as well as collect and analyze telemetry data.
Two MRIVs, to be named Golden Defender, will be built under this contract. These new vessels are set to replace aging ships like the Pacific Tracker (built in 1965) and the Pacific Collector (built in 1970).
The first MRIV is slated for delivery in 2030. The contract is valued at approximately 2 billion USD.
David Kim, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Philly Shipyard, stated that they’re committed to delivering these vessels with the quality and reliability the customers have come to expect from them.
Michael Coulter, CEO of Hanwha Defense USA, expressed enthusiasm about supporting a critical U.S. defense capability, adding that Philly Shipyard continues to evolve, developing more advanced facilities to become America’s premier shipyard.
In addition to this project, Philly Shipyard and Tote Services are currently working on a contract to construct five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs) for the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), an agency of the Department of Transportation.
To date, they have delivered three NSMVs. The fourth vessel, the Lone Star State, is expected to be delivered by the end of this year, with the final ship scheduled for delivery in mid-2024.