WASHINGTON – The Department of the Navy has awarded a $5.4 million contract to Bath Iron Works in Maine and Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi to continue development of the DD-21 destroyer program, Maine’s U.S. senators said Wednesday.

The two shipyards make up the DD-21 Alliance, formed two years ago by BIW and Ingalls to submit a joint bid for the design and construction of the Navy’s new land attack destroyer.

The additional funding will allow the shipbuilders to meet changing Navy criteria for the project, Sen. Olympia Snowe said.

“These contracts signify the Navy’s continued commitment to the design and construction of these next generation of warships that incorporate ‘leap-ahead technologies’ such as electric drive propulsion, an advanced gun system, advanced stealth technologies and smart chip technologies designed to reduce manning requirements,” Sens. Snowe and Susan Collins said in a joint statement.

The alliance oversees contract management for two design teams, developing two distinct designs. The “Blue Team,” led by BIW, includes Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrup-Grumman and SAIC Corp.; the “Gold Team,” led by Ingalls, includes Raytheon Systems Co. and Boeing.