Northrop Grumman Corp. said Tuesday that it has been awarded a $1.45 billion contract to build and develop new San Antonio-class ships for the U.S. Navy.

The contract is for the construction of a nine new amphibious transport dock ships, which are 684 feet long,105 feet wide, carry a crew of 360 personnel and are capable of landing a force of up to 800 marines.

The first ship in the class, the USS San Antonio, was commissioned earlier this year and currently the New Orleans, Mesa Verde, Green Bay, New York and San Diego are in various construction stages at the company’s shipyards in New Orleans and Mississippi.

Separately, the Los Angeles-based defense company said that it has sold its remaining stake in TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. and expects to have a fourth quarter after-tax gain of about $72 million, or 21 cents a share from the sale. The sale is expected to close on or before the end of the week.

Shares in Northrop were up 52 cents to $66.60 in early trading Tuesday.