US Navy Pursuing Block Buy of Two Aircraft Carriers: Senator

The USS Nimitz CVN 68, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, arrives at a naval base in the South Korean port city of Busan, some 450 kms southeast of Seoul on Feb. 28, 2008. The Nimitz and its associated strike group completed exercises with two other aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific on Nov. 14 2017, adding to the military posture aimed at pressuring Kim Jong Un to come to the negotiating table. Kim Jae-Hwan/AFP/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Navy has informed lawmakers of its intent to pursue a block purchase of two Ford-class aircraft carriers, Senator Tim Kaine’s office said on Dec. 31, a step officials have said could save billions of dollars as the Trump administration tries to expand the size of the fleet.

The decision comes nine months after the Navy expressed interest in a block buy and asked shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries for detailed pricing on the cost of two aircraft carriers as it considered doubling its order for the most expensive ship in the U.S. fleet in a bid to save money.