According to a summary of the survey results, 46 percent of respondents indicated the deal will improve their companies’ hiring, retention and training efforts, and 42 percent said the deal would help to “invest in equipment to ensure quality and on-time delivery.”
The arrangement for four amphibious vessels from shipbuilder HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding comes after Congress has pressured Navy brass for years to pursue such a deal.
Fuel cell technology lets smaller, more versatile VTOLs handle tasks previously reserved for larger drones.
An Ingalls executive told reporters the company is acutely aware that affordability is top of mind for the Navy and Marine Corps when it comes to amphibious shipbuilding.