Spearhead - class joint high speed vessel The " Spearhead " - class joint high speed vessel ( JHSV ) is a United States Navy - led shipbuilding program to provide " a platform intended to support users in the Department of the Navy and Department of the Army . The Joint High Speed Vessel ( JHSV ) program is a cooperative effort for a high - speed , shallow draft vessel intended for rapid intratheater transport of medium - sized cargo payloads . The JHSV will reach speeds of and will allow for the rapid transit and deployment of conventional or special forces as well as equipment and supplies . " Capabilities . The JHSV will be able to transport U . S . Army and U . S . Marine Corps company - sized units with their vehicles , or reconfigurable to become a troop transport for an infantry battalion . The JHSV will have a flight deck for helicopter s and a load ramp that will allow vehicles to quickly drive on and off the ship . The ramp will be suitable for the types of austere piers and quay walls common in developing countries . JHSV will have a shallow draft ( under ) . The design is 70 percent in common with the Hawaii Superferry , also built by Austal USA . Control System . The control system for this class is provided by General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems through an open architecture computing infrastructure ( OPEN CI ) . OPEN CI includes the information technology ( IT ) infrastructure for the combat and seaframe control systems . The infrastructure integrates the ship ' s electronic systems including , internal and external communication , electronic navigation , aviation and armament systems . The General Dynamics OPEN CI is also used on the ( LCS ) , also built by Austal . Program . The JHSV program combines the Army ' s Theater Support Vessel ( TSV ) program ( dating from 2004 ) with the Navy and Marine Corps High Speed Connector ( HSC ) ( requirement dating from 2004 ) . The JHSV program received Milestone A approval in May 2006 . The Navy awarded Phase One preliminary design contracts in early 2008 , and a detail design and construction contract in the 4th Quarter of FY08 . The Navy ' s Program Executive Office , Ships will conduct acquisition for both the Army and Navy , but each service will fund its own ships . After delivery , each service will be responsible for manning , maintaining , and providing full lifecycle support for its vessels . , the lead ship in the class , was launched in September 2011 , and it is expected to be delivered to the Navy in early 2012 . Construction of JHSV - 2 is underway . The Navy expected to purchase 23 JHSV vessels over 30 years . On 2 May 2011 , all Army JHSVs were transferred to the Navy . On 5 December 2012 , the first ship in the class , USNS " Spearhead " , was delivered to Military Sealift Command in Mobile , Alabama . On 30 June 2011 , Austal was awarded construction contracts for JHSV - 6 and JHSV - 7 . On 27 February 2012 , Austal was awarded construction contracts for JHSV - 8 and JHSV - 9 . On 10 December 2012 , the navy awarded its final option under its current contract , and ordered JHSV - 10 . On 5 April 2013 , the JHSV program was added to the remit of the Littoral Combat Ship Council , so that the capabilities of both ship types could be considered together . History . The Navy has been operating HSVs for some years , notably , , , and . In June 2011 , a fifty - ton module was damaged at the Austal shipyard in Mobile during the construction of USNS " Chocktaw County " . In 2013 a Frost & Sullivan report predicted that sales could be made to APAC countries .