Australian amphibious ship Canberra is working through integration issues with as many kinds of foreign aircraft as it can -- including taking the unprecedented step of embarking a pair of U.S. MV-22 Ospreys for three weeks during RIMPAC 2022.
The Marine Corps' top item on its spending wish list is funding for LPD-33, even though the Navy announced earlier in the week it would end the LPD production line at hull 32.
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have finessed their requirement for amphibious ships, now asking for 28 to 31 traditional amphibious ships that could flow in to support forces already operating in an area if a conflict broke out.
The Navy's FY22 spending plans met resistance from lawmakers who worry that it doesn't preserve enough force structure for a near-term fight with China and that it doesn't invest enough in growing the fleet.
The U.S. Navy’s Light Amphibious Warship program is still on track for a fiscal 2022 start of construction, despite the program not appearing in the shipbuilding plan in the FY22 budget request, Navy officials told Defense News.
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