USS Helmand Province

Design
The design of Helmand Province is based on USS Makin Island (LHD-8), which is an improved version of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship. While Makin Island has a well deck, the earlier two Flight 0 America-class ships USS America (LHA-6) and USS Tripoli (LHA-7) were designed and built without a well deck to make space for aircraft and aviation fuel.

She will be the third Flight I America-class ship, and as such will include a well deck. The design of the Flight I America-class ships, including that of Helmand Province, adopts a compromise, incorporating a slightly smaller aircraft hangar as well as smaller medical and other spaces to fit a small well deck for surface connector operations. The island structure will also be modified to free up more room on the flight deck to accommodate maintenance of V-22s, compensating for some of the lost aircraft hangar space.

History
The then-LHA-10 was authorized by the United States Congress in 2023, providing $US 1.38 billion for her procurement.

The ship was named by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro on 2 May 2024, intending to honor the US sailors and marines who fought in the strategic Helmand Province Campaign during the War in Afghanistan.