The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is designed to defeat growing littoral threats and provide access and dominance in the coastal water battlespace. A fast, maneuverable surface combatant, the LCS provides warfighting capabilities and operational flexibility for focused missions including mine-clearing, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. Led by prime contractor Lockheed Martin, the team includes naval architect Gibbs & Cox and ship builder Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company.
In March 2009, the Navy awarded the Lockheed Martin team a fixed-price incentive fee contract to build the nation’s third LCS. LCS 3, the future USS Fort Worth, is being built in Marinette, Wis., and is more than 80 percent complete. The ship was recently christened and launched and the program remains on cost and on schedule for delivery to the Navy in 2012. In December 2010, the Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to construct up to 10 additional ships. The first of the 10 ships was acquired in 2010 and the rest via options through 2015. The next ship award is expected before March 2012.
Purpose
LCS is a critically important shipbuilding program for the US Navy to defend our national interests and demands the best skill and effort from industry teams to be successful.
What It Replaces
The 55 LCS-class ships will replace 30 FFG-7 Oliver Hazard Perry Class frigates, 14 MCM Avenger Class mine countermeasures vessels, 12 MHC-51 Osprey Class coastal mine hunters.
Unique Manning Concept
As designed, LCS operates with considerably less manning (40 core sailors) plus support crew for the aviation and mission packages to operate the reconfigurable mission modules.
Mission Packages
The LCS platform is flexible and reconfigurable. In theater, the LCS acts as a hub – tying together sea, air and land assets. When deployed to address a threat, a ship can be reconfigured for a specific mission in days. Three mission packages include: Mine Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, and Surface Warfare.
- Anti-submarine package elements include: MH-60 Romeo carrying an active dipping sonar, sonobuoys and heavy-weight torpedos.
- Mine countermeasures package requires two operators, and searches twice as fast as legacy systems. Elements include: the Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle, AQS-20A Variable Depth Sonar, Launch & Recovery Subsystem.
- The surface warfare package provides fleet protection from small boats and other asymmetric threats. Includes Gun Mission Module MK 50 MOD, a Non-Line of Sight Launch System Mission Module, a MH-60R Helicopter, Vertical Takeoff Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and a Maritime Security Module.
Maintenance and Sustainment
Driving down costs in areas like transportation, upkeep and storage
Lockheed Martin-led LCS team has been building the foundation to sustainment efforts to performance-based environment. We selected the most qualified, cost-effective suppliers to address inventory and spares management and obsolescence.
Worldwide maintenance support
With Lockheed Martin’s global network of industrial partners’ maintenance and depot facilities, the LCS can be serviced in areas not fully supported by U.S. infrastructure.
Streamlined, automated enterprise logistics
Lockheed Martin is establishing the foundation for extensive condition-based maintenance implementation in the near future – a cornerstone of affordability.
Economic Impact
Creating Jobs
This contract award of 10 ships to the Lockheed Martin/Marinette Marine / Gibbs & Cox team provides significant economic benefits. An economic impact study on the program found that it at the program’s peak (2014, delivering two ships/year), the Lockheed Martin/Marinette Marine LCS program can generate nearly 13,000 jobs across the nation.
Supporting Local Business
With more than 700 suppliers in 43 states, LCS subcontractors include Rolls Royce, Fairbanks Morse, BAE, EADS and Raytheon, among others. The Marinette Marine shipyard is expanding its facilities and hiring more employees in the next few years to support production of two LCSs per year.
