The Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corp. a $90 million contract to get construction materials ready for construction of one of the first two Zumwalt-class destroyers.

“As we move toward the construction, this award provides the necessary funding to have materials and production planning ready,” Brian Cuccias, Northrop Grumman vice president of DDG 1000 said in a statement Tuesday. “Our employees stand prepared and ready to build this magnificent ship.”

Zumwalt-class destroyers will provide the Navy with advanced land attack capability in support of the ground campaign and contribute to naval, joint, or combined battle-space dominance in littoral operations.

The destroyer will operate as part of a joint maritime fleet, assisting Marine strike forces ashore, the Navy said.

The DDG 1000 class ship has a crew of 142, including the aviation detachment.

Work will be performed at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems facilities in Pascagoula and Gulfport.