JACKSON, Miss. - Northrop Grumman Corp. is turning to one of its biggest competitors — Maine's Bath Iron Works — to help stay on schedule in building a warship for the U.S. Navy.

The defense contractor announced Monday that it has awarded a contract to the General Dynamics subsidiary for construction of components for an amphibious transport dock ship, said Northrop spokesman Bill Glenn.

While the companies often compete for military contracts, they have worked together on huge projects over the years. Officials say the latest collaboration will benefit both companies and the customer — the Navy.

Northrop Grumman's shipbuilding sector is the prime contractor for the San Antonio-class ships, which are designed to carry up to 800 Marines who can be brought ashore in helicopters or landing craft. They are being built at Northrop's facilities in Pascagoula and Gulfport on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in New Orleans.

Bath Iron Works will build units for portions of the flight deck and other parts of the vessel. The units will be shipped by barge to Northrop's Pascagoula shipyard, Glenn said.

"Obviously, we're very pleased to have this opportunity and having this work at this time will help us in our efforts to further stabilize our near-term workload," said Bath spokesman Jim DeMartini.

The Bath shipyard has been looking for projects to fill an expected lull as it winds down the DDG-51 program and begins work on the Navy's next generation DDG-1000 destroyer.